KARACHI: The computer system of the Pakistan International Airlines broke down on Monday morning, triggering cancellation of several flights of the national flag carrier and causing hardship to passengers, it was reliably learnt.

Talking to Dawn, PIA spokesperson Mashhood Tajwar said that the computer system at a US-based company had been affected and as the PIA’s system was linked to it, it also malfunctioned for around four to five hours between 10am and 3pm.

The spokesperson claimed that although the airline’s online system was not working during the period, PIA carried out its work through its back-up manual system and it functioned almost normally.

He further said that four domestic flights — PK 502 Karachi-Turbat; PK 503 Turbat-Karachi; PK 367 Islamabad-Karachi; and PK 317 Karachi-Islamabad — were cancelled on Monday, but asserted that the reason was “poor load” (fewer passengers).

The passengers, he said, were accommodated in alternative flights.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2017