Business

Boeing, Airbus ‘likely to suspend’ spare parts supply to PIA amid liquidity crunch

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

PIA grounds 5 out of 13 leased aircraft due to cash-flow crisis.
PIA says keeping airline operational necessary for privitisation.
ECC rejects PIA summary seeking emergency bailout.

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has warned that Boeing and Airbus are likely to suspend the supply of spare parts by mid-September as the national flag carrier faces “serious cash flow problems”.

In a summary sent to the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) for an emergency bailout, PIA said it was unable to pay its creditors, aircraft lessor, fuel suppliers, airport operators, International Air Transport Association (IATA), and others due to a liquidity crunch.

The national flag carrier further said it was forced to ground five out of 13 leased aircraft, while four additional aircraft are likely to be grounded this week due to the prevailing crisis.

In the summary, PIA also highlighted that keeping the state-run airline operating is necessary to determine the fair price of its shares for privatisation.

Meanwhile, the ECC meeting on Wednesday rejected the PIA demand for the provision of Rs22.9 billion and deferment of Rs1.3 billion per month to the Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) as well as loans and markup amount till the finalisation of the restructuring plan.

During the meeting, the Ministry of Aviation submitted a summary on “Financial support for PIACL & its Restructuring”.

The secretary of Aviation gave a detailed briefing to the chair about the financial burdens, liabilities of PIA, and the need for restructuring the organisation.

The ECC discussed and reviewed the timelines and costs of the restructuring plan. After detailed discussion and deliberation, it was decided to constitute a separate committee for the assessment of PIA’s restructuring plan.

The ECC also rejected the request for deferment of the payments of Rs1.3 billion per month, which PIA pays to FBR against Federal excise duty (FED), and Rs0.7 billion per month which PIA pays to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) against embarking charges.

It was also decided that the Finance Division and State Bank of Pakistan would support PIA in tackling its financial challenges after a concrete plan for restructuring the airlines had been finalised and submitted to the satisfaction of the committee.

Business

E&P Companies Will Invest $5 Billion in Pakistan’s Petroleum Industry

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

Over the next three years, local and foreign companies involved in Pakistan’s oil and gas exploration and production sector have shown a strong desire to invest more than $5 billion in the nation’s energy sector.

Recent changes to the Petroleum Policy and the implementation of an exclusive tight gas policy, which provide better incentives and a more investor-friendly regulatory framework, are credited with the increase in investor confidence.

These strategic changes are expected to boost domestic energy production, open up new avenues for growth, and draw large amounts of both domestic and foreign investment.

Business

With inflation slowing, the SBP is anticipated to lower the policy rate for the eighth time in a row.

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

Businesspeople anticipate another reduction in the policy rate when the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) releases the updated rate.

The interest rate for the upcoming two months will be announced by the central bank. It is still unclear if the rate will stay the same or be lowered to reflect stakeholder expectations.

According to experts, the policy rate will be lowered in order to further boost the nation’s economic sector.

Interest rates may be lowered for the seventh time in a row if the inflation rate declines significantly more than anticipated.

In its last six sessions, the MPC had cut the policy rate by 10 percent. In January 2025, it decreased the rate by one percent to 12pc.

12PC POLICY RATE

In January, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) announced cut in key policy rate by 100 basis points (bps) to 12 percent from 13pc in line with expectations of the business community.

The policy rate, which had been at 22 percent since June 2024, was slashed by 1,000 basis points to 12 percent.

The SBP governor said the decision was taken with careful consideration. “Although inflation is expected to decline next month (February), core inflation remains a pressing concern,” he stated.

Ahmed highlighted strong remittance inflows and robust export growth as key factors supporting the current account.