Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) has threatened to withdraw its services from the approved sectors of Shaheen Air International (SAI) Ltd in case of non-payment of outstanding aeronautical dues amounting to Rs 540 million by June 2, 2018.
In a letter sent to SAI CEO Ehsan Khalid Sehbai, the PCAA has requested the airline to immediately pay the outstanding aeronautical dues amounting to Rs 540 million to ensure continuity of its services. The letter further stated that PCAA would withdraw its services from the approved sectors of SAI by June 2, 2018 in case of non-payment of dues till June 1, 2018. PCAA has already stopped providing bridge service to SAI at three major airports - Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad.
Needless to mention, Large Taxpayers Unit (LTU), Karachi also attached all bank accounts of SAI to recover Federal Excise Duty (FED) amounting to Rs 521.4 million on May 25, 2018 and later de-attached after airline's assurance to pay FED on priority basis.
When contacted, Zohaib Hassan, Director Marketing said the action taken against the airline was an attempt to damage its reputation. He said the airline had discussed the issue with the authority and added that all SAI operations and its flight schedule were being done as per routine. "As the country's biggest private airline, SAI is aware of its duties and responsibilities," he maintained.