diff --git a/scripts/package-tests/package-tests.sh b/scripts/package-tests/package-tests.sh
index 1c9c5b48..1301fbb3 100755
--- a/scripts/package-tests/package-tests.sh
+++ b/scripts/package-tests/package-tests.sh
@@ -58,7 +58,9 @@ crun = [
 EOF
 
 podman run --name "$container_name" -d "$image_name"
-podman exec -t "$container_name" systemctl is-system-running --quiet --wait
+
+# ensure that the system is up and running by checking if systemctl is running
+$container_exec -t "$container_name" systemctl is-system-running --quiet --wait
 install_pkg "$container_name" "$PKG_PATH"
 
 # ensure service has started and still running after 5 seconds