In a bid to overcome its recent fuel crisis, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) unveiled its plan to restore its flight operations by next week.
The airline's decision comes on the heels of a much-needed payment of Rs 500 million to Pakistan State Oil (PSO), a move aimed at refueling approximately 35 flights.
This development marks a significant shift in PIA's approach, as it will now base its flight operations on fuel availability rather than adhering to the originally scheduled flights planned six months ago.
With this fresh strategy in place, PIA managed to conduct a total of 60 flights on Thursday, a combination of 46 international and 14 domestic routes.
A spokesperson for the airline revealed that an additional 75 flights were scheduled for Friday, with hopes of fully restoring operations by the coming week.
This remarkable turnaround indicates a substantial improvement, considering that the airline was operating just 32 flights daily in the face of the ongoing fuel crisis.
The fuel shortage had forced PIA to cancel hundreds of international and domestic flights, allowing private airlines to exploit the situation by significantly increasing their fares.
This predicament led to severe criticism and mockery on social media, particularly after PIA posted a message that backfired.
The airline's post, which read, "I’ve fallen many times, but I’ve always picked myself up again," drew widespread attention. Netizens were quick to remind PIA that as an airline, it should not be falling, even once, let alone "many times."