Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has suffered a loss of Rs. 280 million due to the European flight ban.
Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan made this revelation in the National Assembly on Wednesday.
During the Question Hour, the Minister was asked about the impact of the ban in Europe, the UK, and the USA.
Submitting a detailed reply, the Minister highlighted that PIA’s revenue from its flight operation in the EU bloc dropped to Rs. 1.41 billion from Rs. 1.69 billion in July-August 2020.
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To reduce the losses, the PIA management continued Pakistan-UK flights through a chartered airline. Sarwar said that the national carrier hired Air Malta for flights between the two countries and earned Rs. 520 million from four roundtrips during the lockdown.
The Minister maintained that PIA has also resumed flights to Canada, UAE, Oman, Qatar, Malaysia, Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia.
He noted that the airline earned Rs. 5.81 billion in revenue with expenditures of Rs. 5.31 billion.
The national flag carrier has been banned in the airspace of three countries since July 1. The ban will continue until December and could continue if the airline failes to improve its flight safety.
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Recently, an Operation Safety Audit team of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has concluded its week-long audit of the PIA’s operational management and has expressed satisfaction.
The development means that the national airline will be in a better position to present its case if and when it decided to challenge the flight ban from Europe, the UK, and the USA.
