Two flights, PK-309 and PK-319, which were scheduled to take off at 7pm and 8pm have been delayed, they said, adding that the Pakistan State Oil was not providing fuel.

At least three flights could not take off due to such a situation. They added that children and senior citizens are among the passengers waiting for their flights.

A screenshot taken from the PIA website at 12:20am on Saturday showed the flight schedules.

Many experts have called for privatizing the PIA as they have expressed concerns over the impact of the loss-making entity on the national exchequer.

The other day, Privatisation Minister Fawad Hassan Fawad reiterated the government’s firm resolve to divest major loss-making state-owned enterprises to avoid a substantial financial drain of resources and make them efficient.

He said this during a meeting with World Bank Resident Director Najy Benhassine. They also discussed the privatisation agenda with a focus on the divestment of PIA and other state-owned entities.