PIA flight grounded at Istanbul airport

According to the information provided, PIA’s PK-704 flight experienced a technical malfunction in its landing gear while travelling from Istanbul airport to Islamabad.

The passengers of the flight were transferred to a Turkish Airlines flight, while the team of engineers from PIA left for Turkiye to fix the problem.

Presently, the aircraft is immobilised at Istanbul Airport.

In January, it was claimed that nine planes belonging to Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) were immobilised due to a “scarcity of replacement components”.

Insiders familiar with the situation have revealed that, out of the total fleet of 31 planes, nine aircraft have been taken out of service since the necessary spare parts are not now available. The fleet of grounded aircraft consists of five Airbus-320, three Boeing-777, and one ATR aircraft.

Sources have indicated that there is ongoing uncertainty regarding the future of the national airline, which heavily depends on the State Bank of Pakistan. Additionally, leasing businesses have expressed concerns about Pakistan’s CCC rating in relation to its corporate policies.