Audit Flags Rs9.4bn Loss from PIA Concessions
An audit report has revealed that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) caused a financial loss of Rs 9.43 billion by distributing free and heavily discounted tickets between 2011 and 2016.
According to the findings, more than 258,000 tickets were issued free of charge, while another 116,000 were sold at a discount of up to 95 percent.
The report highlighted that a significant number of these benefits went to individuals with no official association with the airline.
The Auditor General of Pakistan noted that the concessions were granted without approval from either the chairman or managing director.
Despite repeated reminders, no formal meeting was held to address the issue until 2023. The report has now recommended an immediate end to such practices.
PIA responded by clarifying that the policy was discontinued in 2018 after a Supreme Court ruling.
A spokesperson explained that the concessions had originally been part of an agent incentive scheme to boost ticket sales.
They also stressed that the audit’s observations date back nine years and fall under the jurisdiction of the Departmental Accounts Committee.
