Dhaka, Jan. 15 -- Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (PIAC) incurred losses exceeding PKR 22 billion as a result of prolonged grounding of its aircraft, a parliamentary committee was informed on January 7.

Officials from the Auditor General's Office told the Public Accounts Committee that several PIA aircraft remained under maintenance far longer than scheduled in 2022, with downtime ranging from 44 to 239 days. One aircraft reportedly remained grounded for nearly two years. The audit attributed losses of about PKR 21.8 billion to management inefficiencies that caused operational delays.

The audit also highlighted additional financial setbacks, including PKR 8.6 billion tied up in spare parts from retired aircraft that were not...