The national treasury faced a Rs 9.43 billion loss over six years due to PIA free tickets and discounted tickets, according to an official audit report released by the Auditor General of Pakistan. The report examined the distribution of free and discounted travel between 2011 and 2016.
The PIA audit report revealed that more than 258,000 free tickets were issued, along with over 116,000 discounted tickets sold at a 95 percent reduction. Yearly data shows 58,861 free tickets issued in 2011, 51,692 in 2012, 56,815 in 2013, 43,077 in 2014, 21,816 in 2015, and 26,729 in 2016. The Auditor General noted that many discounted tickets were given to individuals outside the PIA staff.
The audit report highlighted that the national treasury loss was caused by approvals given without the consent of the PIA chairman or managing director. The Auditor General recommended ending the practice to avoid further financial damage.
Following repeated reminders, no meeting of the Departmental Accounts Committee was held on the matter until 2023. However, a Supreme Court order in 2018 led to a complete ban on PIA free tickets and discounted tickets. A PIA spokesperson confirmed that the tickets were earlier issued under an agent incentive scheme designed to boost sales.
The spokesperson added that the audit paragraph is nine years old and that DAC meetings are arranged by the relevant ministry. Since the Supreme Court order, the agent incentive scheme, PIA free tickets, and discounted tickets have been completely abolished, ensuring no further national treasury loss linked to this policy.
