Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the countrys ailing national carrier, has now cancelled 48 flights, both domestic and international routes amid the non-availability of fuel.PIA cancels its flights due to unavailability of fuelSpeaking to the media, a spokesperson for PIA said that the flights were cancelled due to a limited fuel supply for its daily flights and operational issues. Due to this, the departure of some flights has been rescheduled.At least 13 domestic flights and 11 international were cancelled due to unavailability of fuel. 12 other flights were delayed, he stated.According to the PIA, the passengers of the cancelled flights were shifted to alternative flights. It also advised passengers to contact the PIA customer care, PIA offices or their travel agent before arriving at the airport to check their flight status following this decision.Just for today (October 18), the airlines have cancelled more than a dozen flights — 16 international and eight domestic flights, while some flights were expected to be delayed.Why PIA is suffering from fuel shortageNotably, this fuel shortage for PIA flights was caused by the state-owned Pakistan State Oil (PSO) suspending its supply over unpaid dues. The future of PIA, which is already on the brink of collapse and heading towards privatisation due to accumulated debts, remains uncertain.This is further exacerbated by the governments refusal to provide Rs 23 billion in support operational expenses, despite the national airlines request.To get the fuel, the airlines require Rs 100 million daily to pay for the fuel from PSO, however, with the latter demanding advance cash payments only, the airlines are unable to meet this requirement, leading to more flight cancellations in the future.Pakistan faces economic crisisThis latest development came as Pakistan is facing one of the worst economic crises in its history, along with political instability. Inflation in the country is currently at a record high of 21.3 per cent.The Pakistani rupee has lost about half of its value against the US dollar in the past year. The countrys foreign exchange reserves are at a critically low level of about $10 billion.
