PIA alleges bid to sabotage its privatisation process

On Monday, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) operations came to halt as aircraft engineers suspended technical certifications over critical safety concerns, leaving passengers stranded and the national carrier facing yet another operational crisis.

The national carrier scuffled to restore complete flight operations even after 36 hours, facing accusations of violating international aviation regulations by hiring unauthorised third-party engineering services.

However, the PIA termed it an an attempt to sabotage the privatisation process.

“Management team alongwith key post holders of Engineering Dept. immediately responded. By using alternative means and working tirelessly overnight and the day, restored the ops, thus mitigating the impact of already delayed flights for subsequent operations,” the airline said in a statement.

The PIA confirmed that five flights were cancelled by readjusting the load, and alternates were offered to the valued passengers.

The airline said two flights - PK783 KHI-Toronto with 104 Pax and PK701 ISB-Manchester with 329 Pax - departed on time, while seven flights experienced delays, including:

1. PK747 LHE-MED 14 Hrs Dly 316 Pax
2. PK761 KHI-JED 12 Hrs Dly 160 Pax
3. PK300 KHI-ISB 4 Hrs Dly 139 Pax
4. PK741 ISB-MED 6 Hrs Dly 305 Pax
5. PK233 ISB-DXB 9 Hrs Dly 162 Pax
6. PK245 ISB-DMM 7Hrs Dly 180 Pax
7. PK755 SKT-RUH 7Hrs Dly 142 Pax

Last year, the government failed in the first attempt to privatise the PIA after receiving a single offer, well below the asking price of more than $300 million. It restarted the sale process with fresh Expressions of Interest (EOI) call in April this year.

Later In June, Fauji Fertilizer, Air Blue, and 3 consortiums submitted the Statement of Qualifications (SOQs), showing their interest in acquiring a stake in the national carrier.

The government now aims to complete the privatisation process by the end of this year.