Mismanagement Grounds PIA, Costs Rs22b

KARACHI — Chronic mismanagement in Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) engineering division has grounded aircraft, left engines idle, and bled more than Rs22 billion from the national carrier’s finances. Delays in engine maintenance and poor planning have kept planes out of service for months, piling up losses that extend far beyond operational inefficiency.

Six Boeing 777s and two ATR-72 aircraft remained parked between March 2020 and March 2021, costing the airline over Rs14 billion. Another Rs6 billion loss was incurred as 25 engines were left permanently grounded, neither refurbished for reuse nor sold off in time. Nearly Rs3 billion was also paid to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in parking and related charges.

The scale and persistence of these lapses were documented in the Auditor General’s report for 2024–25, which concluded that PIA’s engineering management suffers from weak oversight and poor accountability. Auditors pointed out that similar irregularities were flagged in the airline’s 2008–2017 special audit, but reforms were never carried out.

Adding to the concern, a Departmental Accounts Committee (DAC) meeting scheduled for January 2025 to review the matter was never convened, leaving responsibility for the mounting losses unassigned.

The report warns that without urgent reforms and accountability, mismanagement will continue to ground PIA’s fleet and undermine its ability to recover.