ISLAMABAD – Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has suspended all its flights to Toronto, Canada, from September 13 to September 27, due to a severe shortage of operational aircraft.
Reports said 13 round-trip flights scheduled during this period from Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad have been cancelled.
PIA operates its Toronto route using two Boeing 777-LR aircraft. One of these is currently grounded due to a landing gear malfunction, while the second was taken out of service after Boeing raised concerns over the use of non-standard jacks during maintenance.
The airline usually operates four weekly flights to Toronto — two from Lahore and one each from Karachi and Islamabad.
Meanwhile, internal tensions have added to operational challenges. PIA’s aircraft engineers, who have not received a salary increase in over a decade, are protesting for the third consecutive week by wearing black armbands on duty.
Reports revealed that engineers have also begun an unannounced “Go by the Book” campaign, strictly following the aircraft maintenance manuals without any deviation. This, coupled with a critical shortage of spare parts, has drastically reduced aircraft availability.
Currently, only 3 of PIA’s 12 Boeing 777s and 8 of 12 Airbus A320s are airworthy. The shortage has severely disrupted both domestic and international operations.
Passengers have been left in distress. A traveler from Karachi, originally scheduled to fly to Toronto on September 16, said his flight has now been rescheduled for October 7, potentially costing him his job due to the delay.
