PIA suffers Rs 38b loss due to aircraft’s extended grounding: Report

KARACHI, OCT 02 (DNA) — Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has incurred colossal losses amounting to Rs 38 billion, primarily attributed to the extended grounding of its aircraft. The shocking revelations emerge from a recent audit report about the nation’s flagship carrier that has sent shockwaves to the nation.

The audit report has exposed serious mismanagement within the airline’s engineering and maintenance department. According to the report which sheds light on PIA’s financial turmoil,  aircraft were frequently grounded for maintenance and temporary grounding purposes.

Management had originally allocated an estimated time of 19 to 28 days for these essential procedures. However, the audit reveals a shocking disparity between the allocated time and the actual days the aircraft remained grounded.

Instead of the estimated time frame, certain planes were grounded for a staggering 905 days, causing severe disruptions to PIA’s operational continuity. For instance, two of PIA’s 777 aircraft were supposed to be grounded for maintenance for a mere 26 and 32 days, but one ship took 520 days and another 250 days for repair.

Furthermore, leased A320 aircraft were not spared from this mismanagement either, as the audit report indicates that maintenance delays impacted them as well. One ship even took an astonishing 905 days to complete its repair process, while another required 540 days.

Even the ATR aircraft, which was initially allotted 24 days for maintenance, ended up grounded for an extensive period. The alarming findings were brought to the management’s attention on December 16, 2022, and discussed in the DAC meeting on January 16, 2023.

Despite the gravity of the situation, no records have been submitted by the management as the report remains pending finalization. The national airline now faces a daunting challenge to rectify these glaring discrepancies and mitigate the financial loss it has suffered. — DNA