Audit officials told the Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday that Pakistan International Airlines incurred losses of Rs. 22 billion because aircraft remained grounded for extended periods.
The Auditor General’s Office reported that several PIA aircraft stayed under routine maintenance for periods ranging from 44 to 239 days during 2022, which reduced operations and caused financial losses.
Officials also informed the committee that one aircraft remained grounded for 652 days. The audit department attributed the delays to management negligence and calculated losses of Rs. 21.82 billion.
Audit officials further reported that PIA suffered losses of Rs. 8.6 billion after management failed to dispose of spare parts and retired aircraft. The audit noted that PIA retained spare parts worth Rs. 8.566 billion from retired aircraft between 2015 and 2021, despite rules requiring disposal.
These parts belonged to aircraft including Boeing 747, Boeing 707, Cessna, SA-310, and WB-737. The Auditor General’s Office also identified losses of Rs. 2.61 billion due to non-implementation of board directives related to properties.
The audit pointed out additional losses of Rs. 1.669 billion from irregular payments and Rs. 0.112 billion from procurement carried out without following Public Procurement Regulatory Authority rules.
Officials from the Ministry of Defence told the committee that Covid-related restrictions, supply chain disruptions, structural repairs, and financial constraints caused the grounding of aircraft.
