The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which is the country’s main airline, is facing a problem with its bank accounts being frozen by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) because they owe more than Rs2 billion in taxes.
This isn’t the first time this has happened; it also occurred last year when 53 of PIA’s bank accounts were frozen for the same reason. They were eventually unfrozen after PIA promised to pay the taxes on time, but now the same issue has come up again.
Additionally, Pakistan State Oil (PSO) has refused to provide fuel for three PIA planes, which has disrupted some scheduled flights. These flights are PK-309 (from Islamabad to Karachi), PK-330 (from Karachi to Multan), and PK-739 (from Multan to Jeddah).
PIA’s spokesperson confirmed these problems and said that the government is working to unfreeze the accounts, assuring that flight operations won’t be affected.
In another situation, the PIA’s board of directors hasn’t decided on giving pay raises to employees because of financial difficulties. Despite these challenges, the board has approved changes in how the airline is organized and is discussing the creation of a holding company to manage properties and losses.
The board is also pleased with the steps taken to restart direct flights to Europe, the UK, and the US, and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) plans to inspect operations in Pakistan in September.
