Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is trying to enhance the number of flights on its international routes by adding more wide-body aircraft to its fleet.
The national flag carrier will attempt to acquire three wide-body jets during Q1 of 2023, according to Abdullah Hafeez Khan, PIA’s spokesperson, and a tender will be floated in the near future.
Previously, different reports had claimed that Pakistan’s national flag carrier is eying Airbus A-330 and Boeing 787 aircraft. However, the reports did not specify the variants PIA will acquire.
Boeing jets currently make up the majority of PIA’s fleet for international flight operations. It possesses 13 Boeing jets, all of which are between the ages of 14 and 18. The 13 Boeing jets are divided among six 777-200 ER, five 777-300 ER, and two 700-200 LR models.
Up until the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) banned the national flag carrier in 2020, PIA routinely employed Boeing 777s for flights to the UK and Europe.
The prohibition was put into effect following the crash of a PIA plane in Karachi and a subsequent statement by the then-minister of federal aviation, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, who claimed that almost 40% of PIA had fake licenses.
The Toronto route is currently being run by the two 700-200 LRs. The PIA has been instructed by the aviation minister to overhaul the cabins of these jets.
The second Airbus A-320 aircraft joined PIA’s fleet last month. This year, the PIA has added a second A-320 aircraft to its fleet. This jet was purchased on a six-year dry lease.
In order to provide its customers the newest travel facilities, PIA had initially launched a tender for the purchase of four A-320s last year. April of this year saw the introduction of the first A-320 aircraft.
