Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry told the Senate on Monday that Pakistan International Airlines stopped flights to Chitral due to a shortage of aircraft and a significant drop in passenger numbers.
He gave the explanation while wrapping up debate on a motion seeking the restoration of flights to and from Chitral Airport.
The minister said PIA had operated ATR aircraft on the Chitral route until 2022 with an average passenger load of 64 percent. The load factor later fell to 41 percent, making the route unsustainable.
He further said that PIA currently has only two ATR aircraft available, which has further restricted operations.
PIA privitization still underway
Dr. Chaudhry also noted that an earlier attempt to privatize PIA did not move forward, though the privatization process has now resumed.
He said concerns raised by senators about limited flights to Quetta would be communicated to the PIA chief executive.
During the session, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar responded to comments from Senator Sherry Rehman about restoring the Senate Standing Committee on the Aviation Division.
Dar assured lawmakers that he would bring the matter to the attention of the prime minister.
