KARACHI (May 06 2006): The private sector carrier, Airblue would soon add socio-economic routes to its system to be able to stand alongside national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), on domestic operations.
Airblue Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Shahid Khanqan Abbasi told the Business Recorder here on Friday that the airline was ready to launch its inaugural flight to Gwadar by the end of this month.
Exact date and timings would be announced sometime next week.
He said that two 19-seater Beach Craft 1900 aircraft would be pressed into service to provide air travelling facility to the people of Balochistan to enable them enjoy the benefits which had, hitherto, eluded them.
To begin with, there will be two flights a day to Gwadar. Subsequently, the service would be extended to cover Turbat, Nawabshah and Sukkur by the end of the year, he said.
Until last year, socio-economic routes were on Airblue's network and the airline had started operating on some of these routes, but A-320 operations on these routes were found unfeasible because enough traffic was not available and had to be suspended.
However, during the period, Airblues' operations remained suspended on socio-economic routes, it paid regularly the amount due for not operating on these routes to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
While granting additional routes/frequencies to private airlines in July last year, the CAA had mandated that private airlines should continue operations on socio-economic routes or pay for every flight at the rate of Rs 62,500 per flight not operated on these routes as required. Any default on the regular payment of royalty to the CAA shall subject private airlines to penalty/debarring from operating additional international frequencies/routes. The National Aviation Policy (NAP) - 2006, which is awaiting cabinet approval, has laid down certain conditions for domestic operations.
To ensure that domestic operations are adequately spread and people of remote areas have reasonable access to air services, the following minimum requirement of operations on different domestic routes by Pakistani airlines should be mandatory:
-- Minimum 10 weekly frequencies on trunk routes.
-- Minimum two weekly frequencies on primary routes.
-- Minimum two weekly frequencies on secondary routes.
For operations on secondary routes, new airlines should have a moratorium of three years from the date of starting operations and all fares would remain deregulated.
Trunk routes include Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and Quetta. Primary routes (jet operable) include Multan, Faisalabad, Sukkur, D.G.Khan, Rahimyar Khan, Bahawalpur, Nawabshah, Skardu, Pasni and Jacobabad, and Secondary routes include Moenjodaro, Zhob, Saidu Sharif, Dalbadin, Bannu, Parachanar, Sehwan Sharif, D.I.Khan, Hyderabad, Ormara, Khuzdar, Rawalakot, Muzaffarabad, Chitral, Gilgit, Gwadar, Panjgur, Turbat and Jiwani.
About UK operations, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said the Airblue's plan to start operating to the United Kingdom had, however, been delayed due to non-availability of suitable aircraft.
The government of Pakistan has already written to the UK government, nominating Airblue as the second carrier to fly to that country under the multiple designation of airlines, which is already available.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that Airblue was looking for A-330-200 aircraft for the UK operations and are in touch with several leasing companies in this connection.
He expressed the hope that by winter, the airline might be able to add the new aircraft to its existing fleet and soon thereafter start flying to the UK.
