The employees of Shaheen Air International (Karachi International) have sent a letter to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan asking him to help revive the dormant carrier, ARY News has reported.
"We request you to take the notice of the worst state of airline and its employees and provide an opportunity to restart its flight operations," the staff wrote.
Shaheen Air has been dormant since October 2018, when it was grounded by the Pakistani Civil Aviation Authority (PkCAA) 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 (USD9.7 million) while its total debts could reach up to PKR18 billion rupees (USD129 million).
The employees have argued in their letter that the collapse of the airline left some 5,000 persons unemployed and without overdue salaries. At the same time, they have said that unless the airline is allowed to resume operations, it will not be able to start repaying its debts.
The carrier's Chairman Kashif Mehmud Sehbai and CEO Ehsan Khalid Sehbai have reportedly fled Pakistan to evade impending prosecution.
The airline has been courting an unnamed "Saudi Prince" for investment but so far no details or revival plan have been announced.
In early January, the PkCAA conditionally okayed Shaheen Air for a restart of operations but only if it repays all of its debts and the executives return to Pakistan to face potential charges.
