Over 1,100 PIA flights operated nearly empty says Audit Report

As many as 1,118 flights of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) departed from Islamabad with only one or two passengers on board during its flight operations between 2021 and 2023, exposing glaring administrative negligence and poor planning within the financially struggling national carrier.

A recently released audit report has uncovered disturbing details about the airline’s operations, revealing how hundreds of flights were operated nearly empty at a time when the organization was facing severe financial distress.

According to the report, 816 flights carried only one passenger each, while 302 flights operated with just two passengers.

Instead of canceling low-load flights to avoid losses, PIA continued to operate them, thereby aggravating its financial woes.

The report further noted that even flights carrying between three and 50 passengers were not cancelled, and ticket refunds were not issued to the affected passengers.

Audit officials pointed out that district managers, in consultation with the marketing team, had the authority to cancel such flights but failed to exercise it.

 The report stressed that continuing with flights under such circumstances was unjustified, resulting in substantial losses to the national exchequer.

The matter was first brought to the airline’s administration on June 6, 2024, but no response was provided.

Despite repeated reminders, the PIA Departmental Audit Committee did not convene a meeting until 2025 to review the issue.

Auditors concluded that effective flight planning, improved operational control, and regular performance reviews were essential to prevent such failures in the future.