The Pakistan Civil Aviation Administration (PkCAA) has approved the relaunch of Shaheen Air International (Karachi International) subject to the settlement of all outstanding fees and the return of responsible executives to Pakistan, local website Pakistan Aviation has reported.
"It has been decided that Shaheen Air International may be facilitated for resumption of their operations subject to payment of CAA duties and return of the management, i.e. CEO/Director to Pakistan for resolution of other liabilities," the PkCAA wrote in a letter seen by Pakistan Aviation.
The PkCAA noted that the airline has multiple outstanding legal cases in a variety of Pakistani courts and administrative bodies and will only be approved for a restart once they are all concluded.
The letter follows a December 20 meeting between the airline representatives and the PkCAA.
The carrier was grounded permanently by the PkCAA in October 2018 after months of on-off activity amid the ongoing discussion related to the carrier's tax debts. The total tax debt incurred by the carrier amounts to PKR1.36 billion rupees (USD9.8 million). It is estimated that Shaheen Air incurred further billions of rupees in debts for unpaid salaries and other liabilities.
The carrier's Chairman Kashif Mehmud Sehbai and CEO Ehsan Khalid Sehbai have reportedly fled Pakistan to evade impending prosecution.
In the absence of the top management, the talks about a restart are led by the Acting CEO Javed Sehbai. In November, Sehbai secured an agreement with unnamed Saudi investors who would inject additional capital into the airline and help it meet all outstanding obligations.
