As the national flag carrier struggles to survive a severe financial crisis brought on by the unchecked flight of dollars and the rise in the price of petroleum goods, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has grounded 11 aircraft, including three of its Boeing 777s.
The airline, which operates around 30 aircraft, has been facing serious difficulties in procuring spare parts for the past three years due to scarcity of funds, which has resulted in the grounding of 11 planes, Daily Dawn reported on Tuesday.
In 2020 and 2021, two of the three wide-body Boeing 777 planes were grounded. Additionally, five A320 aircraft were grounded, including two in 2021 and three in 2023. Additionally, three ATR aircraft were grounded by PIA—one each in 2020, 2022, and 2023.
11 planes have been grounded due to a shortage of funding to purchase spare parts, according to a PIA spokeswoman, who also noted that the national flag airline is struggling financially and is dependent on foreign currency.
A senior official of the airline said the PIA fleet consisted of 31 aircraft and three of the 11 grounded planes — Boeing 777, Airbus and ATR — are beyond repair for want of engines and other parts.
The official said PIA is currently operating with the remaining 20 aircraft and the flight operations are being carried out according to the available aircraft. He said the airline will be facing a shortage of aircraft if flights are increased, especially on international routes.
