Pakistan Fuel Crisis: New crisis deepens in deteriorating Pakistan! PIA suddenly canceled 48 flights

The country’s ailing national carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has canceled 48 flights, including both domestic and international routes, due to non-availability of fuel. A PIA spokesperson told Pakistani news outlet The Dawn that the flights were canceled due to limited fuel supply and operational issues for daily flights. The spokesperson said the departure schedule of some flights has been rescheduled.

The spokesperson said 13 domestic flights and 11 of them on international routes were canceled due to non-availability of fuel. He said 12 other flights were delayed. According to PIA, passengers on the canceled flights were shifted to alternative flights. It advised passengers to contact PIA customer care, PIA offices or their travel agent before reaching the airport to check the status of their flight following this decision. PIA canceled more than a dozen flights – 16 international and eight domestic flights – while some flights were expected to be delayed.

Why fuel shortage?

The shortage of fuel for PIA planes was caused by state-owned Pakistan State Oil (PSO) suspending its supplies due to unpaid dues. The future of the airline, which is already on the verge of collapse and headed towards privatization due to accumulated debts, remains uncertain. The situation has been made worse by the Pakistan government’s refusal to provide Rs 23 billion for operating expenses, despite requests from the national airline. PIA requires Rs 100 million per day from PSO for fuel payment, but PSO only demands advance cash payment, the airline is unable to meet this requirement, increasing the chances of flight cancellations in future .