India-bound PIA flights half-empty

By: Javed Mahmood And Sadia Saeed | Published: May 21, 2009

KARACHI - Pakistan International Airlines is running half-empty flights to India as the neighbouring country has tightened visa policy, causing millions of rupees loss to the national flag-carrier ever week, the sources concerned told TheNation.
The state-run airline is currently operating six flights a week to India with only 45-52 per cent utilisation of capacity as India has slashed the issuance of visas to the visitors after Mumbai attacks, the sources said. Before Mumbai incidents, PIA flights to India were operating with over 70pc capacity, the sources added.
It is said that the top PIA officials have requested the Defence Ministry to reduce the number of flights to avert increasing financial losses. But the Ministry, under pressure from the federal govt high ups, has asked PIA to continue with the current schedule of flights on the plea that cut in flights would further damage Pakistan’s ties with India.
They pointed out that after Mumbai attacks, on the one hand, the Indian govt has tightened visa rules while on the other, the number of visitors has dropped sharply because of tension between the two countries.
Air India, that was operating two flights to Pakistan every week, had already suspended its flights, but the federal government officials were not willing to reduce the number of PIA flights, fearing that doing so could annoy the Indian government, claimed the sources. Despite immense financial crisis in the airline, PIA continues to operate on its routes to India, although after Mumbai attacks, Air India had stopped all its operations to Pakistan.
“Before the Mumbai attacks, PIA was operating 10 flights a week to India. There were three weekly flights for Delhi from Karachi, on Karachi-Mumbai route PIA was operating PK275, four times a week. The Airline undertakes three flights- PK 271-from Lahore to Delhi. However, after the 26/11 attacks, PIA is operating six flights a week to Mumbai and New Delhi. The national airline is now operating two flights on each of these routes, making a total of 6 flights in a week, said an official from PIA.

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