ISLAMABAD – The debt-ridden Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has said the flight operation would return to normal soon as the negotiation regarding the fuel supply was successful.
PIA and state-owned Pakistan State Oil (PSO) have resolved their outstanding issues, paving the way for a gradual recovery in flight operations as confirmed by a spokesperson for the national carrier.
Meanwhile, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has received approval for a substantial financial infusion of Rs8 billion (approximately $28.8 million) from the government during a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC).
PIA spokesperson Abdullah Khan assured that the fuel supply will see a progressive improvement in the coming days. He further stated that flight schedules, previously impacted by the fuel shortage, are slated to revert back to their regular operations.
The news of PIA returning to normalcy comes in the wake of a severe operational setback caused by the suspension of fuel supply by the state-owned Pakistan State Oil (PSO) due to outstanding dues.
Recently over 300 flights were canceled by the national carrier as the fuel crisis worsened with apparently no end in sight for the flyers.
The airline, in the midst of this fuel crisis, is also actively working towards resuming flights to the United Kingdom in the coming months, a crucial step in its efforts to restore international services.
There have been demands for privatizing the national carrier due to its economic nonviability. Former Aviation Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique also stressed the importance of privatizing the carrier or else it would have to shut operations.
In the final days of the PDM regime, it was also decided to privatize loss-making Pakistan International Airlines during a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Privatization chaired by then Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.
The committee “after deliberation decided to include Pakistan International Airlines Co. Ltd. in the list of active privatization projects of the ongoing privatization program, following an amendment in the law by the Parliament,” a finance ministry statement had said.
