Once again, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has frozen the accounts of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) due to outstanding dues, causing disruptions in the schedule of the national flag carrier's flights.
The PIA spokesperson confirmed the account freeze and mentioned ongoing efforts at the government level to restore the accounts. Despite the closure of accounts, the airline has continued its flight operations.
The national flag carrier owes the government more than Rs2 billion in taxes for several months.
Last year, 53 accounts of the airline were also frozen for non-payment of dues, but they were later restored with assurances of prompt payments.
In another setback, the Pakistan State Oil (PSO) refused to supply fuel to PIA, leading to disruptions in the schedule of three flights: PK309 from Islamabad to Karachi, PK330 from Karachi to Multan, and PK739 from Multan to Jeddah.
Despite these challenges, there are hopes for PIA's return to the European Union (EU). The airline has published a tender notice seeking a cargo handling agent in Paris, indicating preparations to restart flight operations in various EU destinations, starting with France. However, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has yet to lift the ban on PIA's travel to European countries and the United Kingdom, which was imposed following an online audit conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) on January 22.