Pakistan International Airlines PIA grounded its 11 aircraft due to hike in petroleum products
[ad_1]
Airline has 30 planes
According to sources, the airline operates around 30 aircraft. For the last three years, it is facing severe difficulties in procuring spare parts due to paucity of cash. Because of this, it has been decided to ground 11 aircraft. Earlier, two of the Boeing 777 aircraft were grounded in the year 2020 and one in the year 2021. Five A320 aircraft are also not operating. Two of these years were grounded in 2021 and three in 2023. A PIA spokesperson has confirmed the news of grounding 11 aircraft. He has also mentioned the dependence on foreign exchange as one of the many challenges.
not even spare parts
A senior airline official said that the PIA fleet comprises 31 aircraft. Three of the 11 grounded aircraft – Boeing 777, Airbus and ATR – are difficult to repair due to lack of engines and spare parts. The official said that PIA is currently operating with the remaining 20 aircraft. Also, flights are being operated as per the available aircraft. He said that if the number of flights increases, especially on international routes, the airline will face a shortage of aircraft. The CEO of PIA has said several times to operate it on the public-private model.
office also closed
PIA’s website shows that its network is spread across Asia, Europe and North America, covering 19 countries. On the other hand, the Senior Employees Association (SSA) office has been closed by the PIA Management to maintain the law and order situation and smooth functioning of the corporation’s activities. SSA general secretary Safdar Anjum termed the closure of his office as illegal and an attempt to disturb the peace of the organisation. At the same time, protests are also taking place in its Rawalpindi office.
[ad_2]
Source link
