After Boeing 777, PIA inducts ATR aircraft to operational fleet

ISLAMABAD: After the induction of Boeing 777, and Airbus A320, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has expanded its operational fleet further with the induction of another long-grounded ATR aircraft, aiming to strengthen domestic operations. 

PIA’s Chief Executive Officer said in a statement on Friday that the inclusion of the ATR aircraft is set to boost flight services to key destinations such as Gilgit, Sukkur, Turbat, and Gwadar. “This will reinforce our regional connectivity and improve passenger convenience.”

On Sunday, PIA inducted its 11th Airbus A320, registered as AP-BOM, into its operational fleet. The freshly painted and refurbished aircraft is equipped with new engines and upgraded interiors. The PIA spokesperson had also revealed the airlines’ plans to induct additional long-grounded aircraft, including Boeing 777 and ATR models, into its fleet.

The expansion plan is being executed following the European Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) decision to lift the ban on the national flag carrier, allowing it to resume flights to Europe.

The PIA CEO further said that the management is committed to ensuring schedule regularity and maintaining operational excellence. “Our on-time performance target is set at 90 per cent; a benchmark we are achieving daily.”

However, schedule violations remain an issue that PIA needs to address as flights from Karachi to Islamabad and Lahore were delayed on Wednesday, causing inconvenience to passengers and further eroding their trust in the national carrier

The PIA will resume flights to Europe on January 10, starting with Paris, after the EU aviation regulator lifted a ban on the national flag carrier.

PIA’s authorisation to operate in the EU was suspended in June 2020 over concerns about the ability of Pakistani authorities and its Civil Aviation Authority to ensure compliance with international aviation standards.

“We have got approval for the first flight’s schedule we had filed,” PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez Khan told Reauters earlier, adding that the airline would be opening bookings on Dec. 9 for its planned Jan. 10 flight of a Boeing 777 to Paris.

The EASA and Britain suspended PIA’s permission to operate in the region after Pakistan began probing a scandal over the validity of pilots’ licences in the wake of a plane crash that killed 97 people.

PIA will soon approach Britain’s Department for Transport (DfT) for permission to resume routes to the UK, Khan said.

Once cleared by the DfT, London, Manchester and Birmingham would be the most sought-after destinations, he added.

The ban cost the loss-making airline Rs40 billion ($144 million) annually in revenue.