Pakistan Civil Aviation | Information & News.

[Edevelop]

PIA to induct 10 new aircraft into fleet

The Board of Directors of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has decided to induct 10 narrow body new generation aircraft on a priority basis.

According to a statement issued by the Public Relations Department of PIA, advisor to the Prime Minister on Aviation Shujaat Azeem and PIA’s newly constituted Board of Directors have critically analysed passenger traffic over the last five years and the projected figures from International Air Transport Association (IATA) and local aviation advisers, and have decided to induct the new generation aircraft urgently.

According to the management, the step will facilitate domestic flights that have been put into jeopardy for a very long time due to non-availability of narrow body aircraft, and will bring down fuel costs by 28 – 30%.

They will also help improve the flight schedule of the airline. PIA plans to increase the frequency of its profitable routes while loss making routes will be reviewed and would be closed if need arises.

Azeem has said that all efforts are being made for the revival of the Pakistan International Airlines and the biggest challenge is to make it a profitable airline.

He said that the all efforts were being made for the revival of the airline in order to put it on a path of recovery within the next six months on the instructions of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The Economic Coordination Committee in the first phase has approved a bailout package of Rs7 billion for the National Flag Carrier last week.

The newly constituted PIA Board of Directors have decided not to take any perks and privileges from the airline such as pay or free travel for employees and family members, a statement said.

Chairperson PIA Aslam Khalique has also announced that he would not draw any salary as the chairperson.

Azeem has said that the process of change had started in PIA, and that corruption, mismanagement, politics and nepotism would be rooted out.

He said that together with the highly skilled Board of Directors and the experienced and dedicated workforce of the national carrier, PIA would once again achieve new heights and the results of positive change will be visible in the near future.

PIA to induct 10 new aircraft into fleet – The Express Tribune

 

[Edevelop]

Govt to improve airports’ infrastructure with Rs 100bn

ISLAMABAD: The government is working on a major renovation plan worth Rs 100 billion to improve the infrastructure at the country’s airports by 2015.

According to the government’s vision on aviation, a copy of which was made available to Daily Times on Sunday, no major upgrade or induction of latest technology/equipment has taken place in the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for the last 20-25 years. Its radars, communication and radio navigation equipment has become old, while its runways and passenger terminals at Quetta, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Nawabshah and Faisalabad have deteriorated through wear and tear. All these need to be upgraded/replaced, it emphasised.

Pursuant to the directive of the prime minister on security environment, Adviser to the PM on Aviation Shujaat Azeem has directed CAA DG and the Airport Security Force (ASF) to initiate the process of acquiring latest scanners to be deployed at all major airports. Taking serious notice of threats to airports and the experiences at Peshawar and Kamra, Shujaat has ordered foolproof security at the airports and has written a personal letter to the minister of interior for beefing up surveillance at CAA airports and enhancing the security cover there and at mega projects.

While security is the number one priority, the ASF is still operating CAT-I scanning machines, while CAT-III scanning machines are the standard configurations at all major international airports to counter increasing security threats. This area has been overlooked for a considerable period of time. Efforts have been initiated on war footing, and CAA and ASF have been involved to ensure that the Pakistani airports are equipped with the latest technology. A working paper has been developed to immediately procure CAT-III scanners on urgent basis so that security is not compromised.

Another major security concern is congestion at the airports. At the Islamabad airport, which is a joint user airfield, the same had been neglected and all international carriers/flights have been placed in one block time at night, thus resulting in congestion for all agencies concerned, passengers as well as for the airport authorities. A meeting of all international carriers has been called on immediate basis to develop a staggered time frame to create a better working environment. The same will be made effective from August 2013.

The paper says that the National Aviation Policy 2013, a step long awaited by all the aviation stakeholders, from airlines, private operators, ground services, cargo & freight management companies to aircraft handling companies. The last such review was made in 2000 and since then the global aviation industry has seen a tremendous change after 9/11. The process of leasing and operating the aircraft at airports has changed considerably. To meet the international standards and to get the viewpoint of all stakeholders, letters have been dispatched for their suggestions and comments.

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

 

[Edevelop]

New International airport to be constructed at Mirpur


A new International airport will be constructed at Mirpur with the financial assistance of International Investment companies.


A formal agreement was signed between the AJK Government and a group of Consortium of the Investment companies in Islamabad on Saturday.


Earlier addressing briefing on various Hydel power generation and tourism projects ‚ the AJK prime Minister Chaudhary Abdul Majid said that there were ample opportunities for investment in Hydel Power generation‚ tourism and mineral sectors in Azad Kashmir.


He said that a number of international companies have assured to invest billions of dollars in these sectors.


He assured that AJK Government under its new investment policy will provide protection to the investors

New International airport to be constructed at Mirpur | NewsPakistan.PK

 

[Last Hope]

Last week, someone I know went to LAHORE from RIYADH, via PIA. Not only the flight was SEVEN HOURS late, but for the first hour (out of three and half), the Air Conditioner wasn't switched on and the cabin crew preferred to stay out of sight till it gets working. Later they said that the aircraft was coming direct from Karachi, it has faced some problems and was getting fixed for just this flight, afterwards would be fixed again.

 

[Edevelop]

PIA airhostess arrested for smuggling phones

ISLAMABAD: An airhostess of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was arrested on Tuesday when she tried to smuggle in a large quantity of smart phones. According to media reports, airhostess Nusrat arrived in Islamabad on PIA flight PK 786 from London. During routine search customs officials recovered 48 smartphones from her luggage. The customs authorities took her into custody. Earlier, two other airhostesses of the national flag carrier were found involved in smuggling of drugs in laptop and aircraft toilet. online

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

 

[Jango]

CAA gave a tender today for renovation and beautification of airports. Finally!

All the airports need to be revamped in terms of facilities and aesthetics.

 

[Edevelop]

Bid to smuggle 3kg heroin foiled at Lahore airport

A smuggling bid of heroin to Qatar was foiled at Lahore airport on Friday. According to details, a passenger named Masood was searched by the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) at Allama Iqbal International Airport and heroin was recovered in his shoes. While searching the luggage, ANF officials seized shoes filled with heroin. During initial investigation, the suspect revealed that Civil Aviation’s General Service Attendant Nasir was also assisting him in the smuggling attempt. ANF handed both suspects to custom officials for further interrogation.

Bid to smuggle 3kg heroin foiled at Lahore airport | Pakistan Today | Latest news | Breaking news | Pakistan News | World news | Business | Sport and Multimedia

 

[Edevelop]

Airblue launches services from Karachi to Jeddah

airblue, Pakistan’s second-largest airline with around 20% of domestic market, commenced services on the 2,900-kilometre route from Karachi (KHI) to Jeddah (JED) on 9 July. A thrice-weekly schedule is offered on the route using A319s in competition with PIA (6 weekly flights), Saudia Airlines (6) and Shaheen Air (2). The new service comes in addition to the thrice-weekly flights to Jeddah from Lahore, which had been launched a day earlier.

airblue launches services from Karachi to Jeddah | anna.aero

 

[Edevelop]

 

[Edevelop]

Pakistan's Shaheen Air eyes more A320s; tie-up with SE Asian LCC

Shaheen Air International (NL, Karachi Int'l) is planning to add five more A320-200 aircraft to its present fleet of two by the end of this year with a further five expected during 2014/15. Thus far, the first five aircraft have been identified as two ex-Windjet (IV, Catania) A320s (c/n 542 and 877) along with three former Kingfisher Airlines (IT, Mumbai Int'l) A320s (c/n 3012, 3089 and 3270). Thereafter, the twelve A320s will be used to replace the airline's fleet of nine B737-400s. According to industry analysts familiar with the airline's operations, once the refleeting exercise is complete, a partnership with an established south-east Asian Low Cost Carrier will be sought, likely either AirAsia (AK, Kuala Lumpur Int'l), JetStar Airways (JQ, Melbourne Tullamarine) or Tiger Airways (TR, Singapore Changi), in order to gain connections via their respective hubs to the South East Asian & Australian markets.

Pakistan's Shaheen Air eyes more A320s; tie-up with SE Asian LCC - ch-aviation.ch

 

[Jango]

Incident: PIA B773 near Moscow on Jul 21st 2013, engine shut down in flight

By Simon Hradecky, created Sunday, Jul 21st 2013 14:23Z, last updated Sunday, Jul 21st 2013 14:23Z

A PIA Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 777-300, registration AP-BHV performing flight PK-785 from Islamabad (Pakistan) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was enroute at FL360 about 300nm southeast of Moscow (Russia) when the left hand engine (GE90) stalled and needed to be shut down. The aircraft drifted down to FL240 and diverted to Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport for a safe landing on runway 25R about 55 minutes later.

Flight PK-701 from Islamabad to Manchester,EN (UK) is going to make an unscheduled intermediate stop at Moscow's Sheremetevo Airport to pick up the passengers and take them to England.

Incident: PIA B773 near Moscow on Jul 21st 2013, engine shut down in flight

 

[Jango]

KARACHI:
Air Indus has been issued the Airline Operating Certificate (AOC), clearing the way for the newest domestic carrier to start flights later this month, officials told The Express Tribune.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued the AOC on Tuesday after weeks of delay, which saw the airline postpone its planned launch more than once despite bringing aircraft to Pakistan.
“It’s all done and now we are looking at July 25 for our first flight,” said Javed Akhter, who is looking after the airline’s airport services and matters related to the aviation regulator.
“Yes, the launch has been delayed by quite some time now but there is little we could do about. The approval process is long.”
Air Indus, which first surfaced two years ago, will operate the first flight between Karachi and Lahore. Under the licence, the airline has to operate on domestic routes for a year before it is allowed to carry passengers to international destinations.
Islamabad, Peshawar, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Multan and Quetta are other cities on its proposed network.
Industry people have been gossiping for weeks about the reasons behind the continuous delay since the airline brought three leased Boeing 737-300 aircraft three months ago.
“A lot of money has been wasted because the aircraft were parked for long,” said Akhter. “No one wants to do that as an idle aircraft means incurring cost on a daily basis. But things were not in our control,” he said without elaborating.
Air Indus, which is backed by Karakoram Motors as the sponsor, seems to have not yet decided on the exact business model but it is clear the owners are after maximum passengers and don’t want to experiment at this stage.
The airline has opened a large sales office in upscale DHA’s Zamzama area, hinting that it will continue to rely on a network of agents to sell the seats.
“It is too early for us to say if we will adopt any cost-cutting strategy since we have been fighting just to take off,” said Akhter.

Better late than never: Air Indus finally primed for take off – The Express Tribune

Air Indus ready for takeoff, 4 more days to go.

 

[arushbhai]

Isnt air indus owned by faryal talpur, sister of Zardari?

 

[SHAMK9]

Isnt air indus owned by faryal talpur, sister of Zardari?

It's a rumor, no confirmation yet.

 

[Edevelop]

Air Indus Starts Local Pakistan Flights in Bid to Challenge PIA

Air Indus Pvt., the first Pakistani airline to start operations in almost a decade, plans to begin services to the Middle East next year, increasing competition for the loss-making Pakistan International Airlines Corp.

The carrier, which started operations July 28 with a flight to Pakistan’s capital Islamabad from its Karachi base, will seek to fly to countries including the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia and Thailand after the mandatory one year of domestic flights, Salman Ghazali, senior marketing manager at Air Indus, said by phone yesterday. The airline will initially offer two daily services each to Lahore and Islamabad and one to Quetta and plans to reach seven destinations next month.

The new airline joins Shaheen Air International Ltd. and Airblue Ltd. in competing for passengers in a market once dominated by the flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines, known as PIA. PIA, which has posted eight consecutive annual losses, has seen departures drop by about 10,000 in the last two years amid delays in upgrading an aging fleet, according to its latest annual report.

“Competition is great,” Sajid Habib, former deputy director general of Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority, said by telephone. “Air Indus may get passengers and dent PIA’s operations if flights are on time.”

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who returned to power in May, aims to boost economic growth to 4.4 percent and keep inflation in single digits this fiscal year. The government reached agreement with the International Monetary Fund this month on a $5.3 billion loan to boost the nation’s depleted currency reserves and help stabilize its struggling economy.
Boeing Fleet

Air Indus operates a fleet of two Boeing Co. 737-300 and one 737-301 aircraft, according to its website. The aircraft offers 148 economy class seats on each flight.

“The response was better than our expectation,” Ghazali said about the airline’s first flight. “We had 90 people in the 148-seat plane. Our commercial load was full, some guests could not make it. The way people are booking and travel agents are calling means there is a good response.”