PIA - Pakistan International Airlines (PK, Islamabad International) needs 34 additional aircraft to adequately make up for an operational shortfall Muhammad Ali Gardezi, the chairman to the Pakistani Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has said. Speaking before a parliamentary inquest, Gardezi said that of the carrier's 30-strong fleet of aircraft, only 19 were currently operational. He said plans to resume certain viable routes were being hampered by a lack of operational equipment.

Gardezi told the inquest that PIA is in the process of acquiring ATR - Avions de Transport Régional (EVX, Toulouse Blagnac) turboprops for use on domestic routes but had encountered difficulties in finding lessors willing to furnish the airline with both aircraft and pilots owing to the country's precarious security situation.

The secretary also disclosed that two of three recently retired B737-300s - msn 23297, 23299, and 23298 - will not be sold but will instead be scrapped.

The ch-aviation database shows PIA's fleet currently consists of nine A310-300s, three A320-200s, six ATR42-500s, three B747-300s, two B777-200(LR)s, four B777-200(ER)s, and three B777-300(ER)s.