PIA Fails to Recover Rs.20bn Dues, Audit Reveals

The national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), has failed to recover outstanding dues of over Rs. 20 billion, as revealed in an audit report issued in December 2024.

According to the audit report, the national carrier was unable to collect Rs. 20.39 billion in receivables. The Auditor General of Pakistan raised serious objection over the non-recovery of aeronautical charges.

It has been stated in the audit report that although the matter was identified in December 2024, PIA did not take effective measures to recover the dues.

The report further noted that there are audit paras regarding the non-recovery of over Rs. 20 billion since the financial year 2019–20. Despite several meetings with the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) and the Aviation Division, the amount remains unpaid.

According to the report, as of the audit’s completion on 30 June 2024, the said outstanding dues had still not been recovered.

The report criticised PIA for failing to adopt an adequate recovery strategy and for not convening a Departmental Accounts Committee (DAC) meeting before the finalisation of the audit report.

Auditors have recommended that the Aviation Division be directly engaged to ensure the recovery of the outstanding amount.

The auditors, in their report, recommended contacting the Aviation Division directly to resolve the matter so that the recovery of the amount due can be ensured.