17 of PIA's 34 aircraft grounded due to shortage of essential components

Karachi: A shortage of essential components and spare parts has grounded 17 of the Pakistan International Airlines' 34 aircraft, leaving them out of service, according to sources.

“The position is that 17 aircraft of the PIA fleet remain out of service,” a source in the airlines said.

At present, seven out of 12 planes in the airline's Boeing 777 fleet are grounded. Additionally, seven out of 17 Airbus A320 planes are also non-operational.

The airline's smaller ATR aircraft have not been spared, with only two of the five aircraft currently active.

The grounded planes have been affected by a lack of essential components, including engines, landing gear, Auxiliary Power Units (APUs), and other vital parts.

Sources in the airlines said that shortage of funds and due clearance from relevant ministries were the primary reasons for the shortage.

This has severely affected the operational efficiency of the country's national flag carrier, which is set to resume flights to Europe on January 10 after a four-year ban.

Sources noted that although it is still too early to assess, if the current situation persists, there may be delays in the planned resumption of services to Europe, which is set to start with two weekly flights to Paris.

The shortage has also impacted the process of the government's privatisation commission, which is striving to sell 60 per cent of the airlines' stakes to private bidders.

Earlier this year, the government unsuccessfully tried to privatise 60 per cent of the shares in the debt-ridden airlines but could only attract a single bid of PKR 10 billion, much below the asking reserve price.

The privatisation commission rejected it and decided to hold fresh bidding.

The PIA, when launched in the 1960s, was the flag bearer of Pakistan's successful industries and institutions. However, over the years, its reputation, service and productivity have been eroded due to mismanagement, political interference and overstaffing, resulting in the airlines facing millions of dollars in debt.

It suffered losses of USD 270 million last year and has debt and liabilities close to USD 3 billion.

Apart from this, its fleet is also ageing. Several flights were cancelled and rescheduled this year because the airlines did not clear outstanding dues to the fuel company, Pakistan State Oil.