ISLAMABAD – Several aircraft of the national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), are currently unavailable for operations due to technical reasons and maintenance delays, resulting in flight cancellations and widespread schedule disruptions.
The airline sources said that flight PK-225 remains grounded under daily inspection, while an A320 aircraft bearing registration AP-BMX, which was operating as PK-308 on the Karachi–Islamabad route, was withdrawn from service after a fault was detected in engine No. 1’s exhaust cone sleeve.
Consequently, flights PK-308/309 and PK-451/452 were cancelled.
On Thursday evening, flight PK-369 from Islamabad to Karachi and both legs of Islamabad–Skardu operations (PK-451 and PK-452) were also cancelled.
Several other international and domestic flights are facing significant delays, including PK-287 (Islamabad–Doha), PK-286 (Doha–Peshawar), PK-217 and PK-262 (Peshawar–Abu Dhabi–Islamabad).
Meanwhile, the Dubai–Sialkot flight remains grounded in Dubai due to a brake system fault.
Officials said the ongoing disruptions are not merely the result of poor fleet planning or weak management strategies, but are also linked to a serious shortage of skilled manpower and essential spare parts. These factors have made timely aircraft maintenance increasingly difficult.
The Society of Aircraft Engineers of Pakistan (SAEP) has maintained that it will not participate in any maintenance activity that compromises aircraft safety or airworthiness standards.
Engineers emphasized that maintaining safety and flight evaluation standards remains their top priority, even if it leads to operational delays.
Experts have urged the immediate recruitment of skilled technical staff, establishment of an efficient supply chain to ensure steady availability of spare parts and components, and adoption of realistic fleet management and scheduling practices.
The failure to address these issues, they warned, could further damage the airline’s reputation and erode passenger confidence.
