Blame game: Passengers suffer as flights delayed at Jinnah airport

Transport minister says his flight was meant to depart at 5pm but had been delayed for over two hours

The passengers at Jinnah International Airport suffered after several Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights were delayed on Wednesday evening.

Those who suffered the flight delays included provincial ministers belonging to the Pakistan Peoples Party who were flying to Sukkur via Moen Jo Daro to monitor arrangements for a public gathering in Ghotki that will also be attended by their party chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on November 4.

Transport minister Nasir Shah told The Express Tribune that he was flying to Ghotki with other party members, including Mumtaz Jakhrani, Nawab Wasaan, Sardar Ali Gohar Mahar and Sardar Muhammad Bakhsh Mahar.

He said his flight was meant to depart at 5pm but had been delayed for over two hours as the airline staff were helpless to further the matter, which was said to be a matter of outstanding dues between the airline and Pakistan State Oil (PSO).

Flights going to Jeddah, Sialkot, Islamabad and Lahore were also delayed for several hours, confirmed the minister. Shah said that there are families who are suffering but there had been no sign of flights taking off for hours.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority's official website, at least four PIA flights, Karachi to Jeddah (PK-731), Sialkot (PK-396), Islamabad (PK-370) and Moen Jo Daro (PK-536), were delayed for several hours while a flight that was supposed to depart at 9pm to Islamabad was cancelled.

PIA spokesperson Danyal Gilani claimed that the delay was due to a sudden halt in the fuel supply from PSO after 4pm, adding that a meeting was scheduled today between PSO and PIA on the matter of longstanding dues so he did not understand why the supply was halted.

Gilani added that passengers coming to the airport must inquire about their flight before leaving their homes to avoid any further inconvenience, as they were trying their best to resume supply by night but they were not sure as to how much time it would take. At 7:30pm, Gilani posted on his social media account saying fuel supply had been restored and the scheduled flights would take off shortly.

PSO denies allegation

On the other hand, PSO denied halting jet fuel supplies to the national airline. "PSO has not discontinued any supplies,” said the PSO spokesperson. “PIA has some fuel management issues at its end. [The real issue is that] its refuelling nozzle is out of order and it is not able to fuel the jets."

She added that PSO supplies fuel at nine airports nationwide. “Why would it suspend supply at only one airport?” she questioned.

According to her, the impression that PSO halted supply due to outstanding dues was built because PIA has not paid its due for the past six weeks and the amount has reached Rs15 million so far. "This situation pushed the panic button [within PIA] and they started saying that PSO has suspended the supply, which is incorrect," stated the spokesperson.