NEW DELHI: The steep decline of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is more than just an airline’s failure; it is the story of Pakistan’s shrinking capacity to manage its own public enterprises responsibly, according to a new report.
Flight delays, unpaid salaries, and safety protests have become routine things, which are signs of a flag carrier that has lost not just altitude but direction, according to the report in Asian News Post.
The airline has been accumulating losses for years, estimated at more than $2.5 billion.
“Its fleet is ageing, its operations erratic, and its reputation battered,” the report said.
In latest turmoil, the Society of Aircraft Engineers of Pakistan (SAEP) launched a protest over pay disparities and mounting safety concerns. It has evolved into a full-blown crisis that grounded flights nationwide.
“Passengers — hundreds of them bound for Saudi Arabia and other destinations — were left stranded for hours, as engineers refused to sign off on airworthiness certificates,” the report mentioned.
As per SAEP, “while pilots have received periodic salary revisions, engineers allege that their pay has remained stagnant for nearly a decade”.
Engineers also claim they have been repeatedly asked to reuse old or worn-out aircraft parts — an instruction they argue directly compromises passenger safety, the report alleged.
The report further stated that “ongoing dispute with engineers underscores how systemic the decay has become. Engineers play an indispensable role in aviation safety—no aircraft can take off without their sign-off. Their refusal to certify planes has brought operations to a near standstill”.
Also, After November 3, not a single PIA international flight took off, in a stark illustration of how fragile the airline’s infrastructure has become.
The report said that PIA’s crisis, however, is symptomatic of Pakistan’s broader aviation meltdown. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which oversees the sector, has been under fire for regulatory lapses and corruption.
“After the 2020 crash of PIA Flight PK8303, global regulators discovered that nearly one-third of Pakistani pilots had suspicious or fraudulent licenses,” it noted.