Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) has issued notices to four airlines including Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) for cancelling scheduled domestic flights.

The PCAA took strict notice of the decision of the four airlines regarding the cancellation of scheduled domestic flights to utilise the aircraft for operating international chartered flights.

In its notice, the aviation authority stated that various public complaints were registered against the cancellation of the scheduled domestic flights by the airlines.

It mentioned that 383 out of 1,145 scheduled domestic flights had been cancelled from October 1 to 18. It added that the planes were utilised for international chartered operations.

The national carrier had cancelled 130 out of 417 flights, Serene Air 117 out of 250, Airblue 86 out of 261 and Airsial 50 out of 217 flights.

Following the cancellation of domestic flights, the PCAA has decided to withhold all international chartered flight permissions and ordered the airlines to request permission from the aviation authority prior to operating international chartered flights.

The airlines have been directed to submit an undertaking to the PCAA that ‘domestic flight schedule approved for an ongoing scheduling season will be operated with a minimum flight regularity and punctuality of 90 per cent and 80 per cent respectively.’

It further stated the regulations that the cancellation of domestic flights will only be made for technical reasons or force majeure circumstances.

It added that an adequate balance between domestic and international flights operations is mandatory which does not only follow with the vision contained in the National Aviation Policy 2019 but also allows airline operators to fulfil the obligations towards the travelling public.

The airlines have been directed to submit an undertaking certifying that the international chartered operations shall not be utilised at the expense of the scheduled domestic flight operations.