Pakistan International Airlines
Pakistan International Airlines (also known as
PIA), is the national
flag carrier of
Pakistan and the
National airline of the country operating passenger and cargo services around the world. Its main hubs are
Jinnah International Airport,
Karachi, the
Allama Iqbal International Airport,
Lahore and the
Islamabad International Airport,
Islamabad/
Rawalpindi.
Pakistan International Airlines
PIA can trace its beginnings to the days when Pakistan still was not a nation. In 1946,
Muhammed Ali Jinnah, also known as
Quaid-e-Azam, realized the need for an airline network for the forming country. He called upon the help of an experienced industrialist
Mirza Ahmad Ispahani.
On
October 23 of 1946,
Orient Airways, registered in
Calcutta, was formed. In February 1947, three
DC-3 airplanes were bought from a company in
Texas, and in May of that year, the airline was granted a license to fly. Services were started in June from Calcutta to
Akyab and
Rangoon. This was the first post war airline flight by an
Indian registered airline company. Two months after this service began, Pakistan as a nation was formed.
Orient Airways began relief flights to the new nation, and soon after, it moved operations to
Karachi, where it began the important route from Karachi to
Dacca. In addition, their initial domestic route in Pakistan was established, from Karachi to
Lahore to
Peshawar, and from Karachi to
Quetta to Lahore.
Due to passenger demand, the airline increased its fleet before the end of the 1940s. The government of Pakistan, realizing the operation was failing economically, asked the airline to merge into a new national airline that the government was planning. On
March 11 of 1955,
Orient Airways merged with the Government's proposed airline, becoming
Pakistan International Airlines Corporation. During the same year the airline opened its first international service, under the
PIA name, from Karachi to
London Heathrow Airport in
London,
United Kingdom, via
Cairo International Airport in
Cairo, Egypt and
Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport in
Fiumicino, Italy using Lockheed Constellations. The DC-3s continued operating the domestic services in Pakistan.
The 1950s and 1960s
In 1956
PIA ordered two
Super Lockheed Constellations and five Vicker
Viscount. In 1959,
Nur Khan was named managing director.
In March 1960,
PIA became the first
Asian airline to enter the jet age when
Boeing 707 service was introduced. The aircraft was wet leased from
Pan American and in 1961 services were begun to
JFK International Airport in
New York, then
Idlewild Airport. In 1962, orders were placed for
Boeing 720's,
Fokker F27's and
Sikorsky helicopters. One of PIA's own Boeing 720s broke a record that year, when it flew from Karachi to London non-stop in under 7 hours. During 1962, services to
East Pakistan (now
Bangladesh) were proving to be difficult, therefore PIA placed their
Sikorsky S-61 helicopters on these routes until 1966 when conditions improved.
In 1964 history was made again by
PIA when it became the first airline from a non-communist country to fly to the
People's Republic of China. As the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 broke out,
PIA helped the Pakistani forces with logistics and transport. In 1966, the Viscounts were phased out, substituted by
Tridents. However, these were later sold to
CAAC, the Communist Chinese airline.
The 1970s and 1980s
The 1970s saw the resumption of transatlantic flights and new destinations. It once again aided the
Pakistan Army by transporting soldiers to
East Pakistan in the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and lost a couple of its aircraft to
Indian Air Force fighters. In 1972 it applied to operate to
Libya and an agreement was signed with
Yugoslav airline
JAT. In 1973,
McDonnell Douglas DC-10s arrived and were used by the airline before they were replaced by Boeing 747s.
In 1974 air freight services started, as well as a cargo service to New York. In 1975, new uniforms were introduced for
PIA stewardesses, and in 1976, leased
Boeing 747s came into service, the first time the airline had such a type. In 1978, the airline bought their first 747 aircraft, which have since become a staple of the airline's fleet. Also in 1978 the airline provided help to
Somali Airlines,
Air Malta and
Yemenia; and established a hotel management service in the
United Arab Emirates.
PIA also leased two of its own Boeing 720s to Air Malta during the 70s.
The 1980s began with the opening of a cargo center in Karachi. In 1981,
PIA was named
most efficient airline to the Hajj operation, and a duty-free sales service was inaugrated. From 1982 saw the welcoming of
Airbus A300 aircraft to the fleet and the first
C and
D checks on the fleet were performed in Karachi. In 1984, domestic coach fare service at night was introduced. In 1985 the PIA Planetarium tourist attraction was inaugurated in Karachi and later in Lahore which had static Boeing 707s on display for the general public. In the same year, five
Boeing 737s joined the fleet. Two former
PIA Boeing 720B now forms part of the Planetarium's exhibition at Karachi and Lahore. At the start of 1987 and 1988 flights were introduced to
Malé and to
Toronto Pearson International Airport, respectively. In 1989, the first women pilots started to command passenger flights.
The 1990s
|
PIA's Boeing 747-200 during the 90s |
PIA received the first of six
Airbus A310-308 aircraft on
25 June,
1991 from Airbus Industrie. In 1992, flights started to
Tashkent and in 1993, to
Zürich, Switzerland. In addition,
PIA became a user of the
Sabre,
Galileo and
Amadeus global distribution systems or GDS. During 1994 PIA added more destinations to its route map with
Jakarta,
Fujairah,
Baky and
Al-Ain and for the first time air safari flights were launched using a Boeing 737. In 1995 a 747 flight simulation system arrived, and the purchase of a used
Air France A300 aircraft. In 1996 the airline leased
Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft, and re-opened services to
Beirut International Airport in
Beirut, Lebanon. However
PIA only used the Tupolev Tu-154 for a very short time to deal with the additional demand during the summer of 1996.
In 1999 the airline leased five Boeing 747-300 aircraft from Cathay Pacific to replace its aging Boeing 747-200 aircraft. The aircraft wore a new livery with a Pashmina tail and white body and large Pakistan titles on the front fuselage. The livery was applied to some of the fleet during the 90s but due to its unpopularity the livery was dropped and the aircraft painted were repainted in the 1990s sporty livery. The Boeing 747-300s remained in the new look but with a plain green tail with PIA titles.
The 21st century
|
PIA Boeing 747-300 in the post-2004 livery |
|
The PIA Boeing 777 family in 1990s sport livery |
In July 2002, PIA purchased six Boeing 747-300 aircraft from
Cathay Pacific, five of which were already on lease with PIA. The sixth arrived shortly after. The Boeing 747-300s are flying mainly to the UK, USA and Saudi Arabia with a few domestic operations that include Karachi-Lahore and Karachi-Islamabad.
Boeing 777 order
Later in October, 2002, the airline purchased eight
Boeing 777 aircraft from
The Boeing Company, including three 200 ER (Extended Range), two 200 LR (Longer Range) and three 300 ER versions. PIA was the first customer and so revived the Boeing 777-200LR project that, until then, only had three planes on order by EVA Air. The first two Boeing 777-200LR produced were test aircraft for the -200LR variant used by Boeing, before their delivery to PIA. One of these Boeing 777-200LR was displayed at the
Paris Airshow 2005. PIA has said that it may add three more 777-200LR to serve its North American routes. PIA became the launch customer of the
B777-200LR when it ordered the Boeing 777 family of aircraft.
In January 2004, PIA received its first 777-200ER from Boeing and by March all three 777-200ER were in service. The
Boeing 777 aircraft are now serving international routes to
UK,
Canada and
USA and domestic Karachi-Lahore-Karachi and Karachi-Islamabad-Karachi routes. PIA also acquired six half life
Airbus A310-300/ET from the Airbus management on a ten year lease agreement. The aircraft are flying on most international and domestic routes.
On delivery of the first three Boeing 777s the airline introduced a new livery to all of its fleet. On 6 December 2005, PIA leased an additional new Boeing 777 from the
International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC). The aircraft will have the same specifications as the previous Boeing 777-200ER that PIA operates. The aircraft is due to be delivered in January 2007 and will be on lease to the airline for ten years with an option to purchase at the end of the term.
French ATR replace Fokker
On
November 3,
2005 PIA signed an agreement with the
ATR company (Avions de Transport Régional) to purchase seven new
ATR42-500. The agreement was signed by Mr
Tariq Kirmani, Chairman & CEO of PIA and Mr
Filippo Bagnato, CEO of ATR in the presence of the General Consuls of France and Italy. The aircraft will replace PIA's aging F-27 aircraft fleet. The 7 48-seat ATR 42-500 aircraft will be delivered between
2006 and
2007 and indeed the first aircraft was delivered on
May 31, 2006. Another two are expected in the third quarter of 2006 and four in 2007. The total value of the contract is approximately US $100 million. He also went on to say PIA is considering acquiring three brand new
ATR 72 that maybe delivered in 2007-
2008.
Delivery of the Worldliner 777-200LR
On
February 25,
2006 Boeing delivered the world's first longest-range commercial airliner to Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). PIA's first B777-200LR Worldliner left Paine Field in
Everett, Washington and flew to
Manchester,
England, where it picked up passengers before flying on to Islamabad, Pakistan. PIA started direct, nonstop flights from
Toronto to Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore from
March 3, 2006. PIA planned non-stop flights to
New York City and other US cities with sizable Pakistani population centers, but was not given permission due to security reasons. PIA received the delivery of its second Boeing 777-200LR on
March 23, 2006.
Current Fleet
The Pakistan International Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of August 1, 2006);
*13
Airbus A310-300*1
ATR 42-500 *7
Boeing 737-300*6
Boeing 747-300*2
Boeing 747-200 Combi*3
Boeing 777-200-ER*2
Boeing 777-200-LR*2
Twin OtterOrdered Aircraft
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has also placed orders for more aircraft with the
ATR Company and
Boeing Company. The following aircraft are for delivery from
2006 onwards:
*6
ATR 42-500 (Next delivery in November 2006)
*1
Boeing 777-200-ER (Delivery in January 2007)
*3
Boeing 777-300-ER (Delivery starts December 2006)
Speculation
* PIA is also planning to order two more
Boeing 777-200LR in 2006, that will increase PIA's fleet of
Boeing 777-200LR to four. The airline is also planning to lease an additional
Boeing 777-300ER, that will increase PIA's fleet of
Boeing 777-300ER to four.
* For PIA's short haul fleet, the airline is deciding a replacement for its fleet of Boeing 737. They will be replaced by either eight
A321 or
A320-200 aircraft.
* PIA is planning to buy three
ATR 72 which may be delivered after the seven
ATR 42-500 in 2007.
* PIA is also planning to buy three
A310-300F for cargo operations to replace the
Boeing 747-200 Combi.
* PIA is also considering to buy new generation
Boeing 747-8 to replace its older
Boeing 747-300 and
Boeing 747-200 Combi, however, nothing concrete has been announced.
* PIA sets timetable for phasing out its aging aircraft. The carrier plans to retire two 747-200s, eight A300s and eleven F-27s in 2003; two 747 combis in 2006; three 747-300s in 2008; and seven 737-300s in 2010 and 2011.
Pakistan International Airline serves 46 international destinations across four continents and 36 domestic destinations.
* First airline from an Asian country and the first airline from a
Muslim country to fly the
Super Constellation.
* First asian airline to operate a
jet aircraft.
* First asian airline to be granted maintenance approval by the US
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the
Air Registration Board, predecessor of the British
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
* First non-communist airline to fly to the People's Republic of
China, and operate a service between
Asia and
Europe via
Moscow.
* First airline in
Asia to induct the new technology
Boeing 737-300 aircraft.
* An
IBM 1401, the first
computer in
Pakistan, was installed in
PIA.
* The first airline to introduce a second route to
People's Republic of China over the mighty
Karakoram mountains.
* First airline in the world to operate scheduled helicopter services.
* First airline to show in-flight movies on international routes.
* PIA set up
Pakistan's first planetarium at
Karachi.
* The first airline in
South Asia to introduce
auto-ticketing facility.
* The first airline in the
world to fly to
Tashkent,
capital of the newly
independent state of
Uzbekistan.
* First airline in the world to start Air Safari with
jet aircraft.
* First asian airline to start
flights to
Oslo, the
capital city of
Norway.
* First airline in the world to induct Boeing 777-200LR, the world's longest range
commercial airliner.
* First airline in the world to take
delivery of the
Boeing 777-200LR Worldliner (Longer Range
Variant).
* Pakistan International Airlines Flight
Services Department was awarded the
ISO 9001:2000 certification award during May 2006.
*Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) also supports a
first-class cricket team that plays in the
ABN AMRO Patron's Trophy in
Pakistan.
*PIA is also sponsoring the
A1 Team Pakistan for the
A1 Grand Prix, recently being introduced in over 25 nations around the world. The sport is very similar to the Formula One races and are held during the Northern Hemisphere winter off-season of the FIA
Formula 1 Grand Prix series.
*PIA also promotes other sports within Pakistan that include
cricket,
hockey,
football,
squash,
polo,
tennis,
snooker,
badminton,
bridge,
chess,
table tennis,
cycling and
bodybuilding, and strangely enough even bogey licking!
PIA operates an extensive two-month (pre and post)
Hajj operation each year to and from
Jeddah in
Saudi Arabia. PIA transports 90,000 pilgrims each year from
Karachi,
Lahore,
Islamabad,
Peshawar,
Quetta,
Faisalabad,
Multan,
Sukkur to the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
In 2000, PIA operated a total of 306 flights, in its pre-Hajj and post-Hajj operations, which extended over a period of 26 days. A total of 88243 Hajis (pilgrims) were transported from 12th Feb 2000 to 14th April, 2000.
PIA also operates flights from
Pakistan to
Jeddah and other destination in Saudi Arabia during the
Umrah season. In order to deal with the demand the airline leases many different aircraft including
Boeing 747-200s,
Airbus A300B2s and
Boeing 737-400s.
PIA also caters for Afghan pilgrims in Hajj season, flying between Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia.
When PIA was formed, many high officials, famous and political staff from Pakistan used the national carrier for their oversea visits and meetings. During the 1990s, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif were in office, a PIA
Boeing 737-300, was used for official visits abroad. However, when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif took office for the second time, he returned the Boeing B737 to PIA and repainted in the 1990s livery. The President and Prime Minister of Pakistan used scheduled flights for their official vists and meeting abroad. However, now both
President Pervez Musharraf and
PM Shaukat Aziz use a PIA
Airbus A310-300 for their official visits and tours.
*
"AP-BEH" PIA B737 in Government Colours*
Flight PK740 (
Jeddah, November 26, 1979)
*
Flight PK268 (
Kathmandu, September 28, 1992)
* PIA Boeing 777 "AP-BGL" incident at Manchester Ringway International
** Images from Manchester brake fire on 1 March, 2005 [
1] and [
2]
**
The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report on the Boeing 777*
Flight PK688 (
Multan, July 10, 2006)
*
Official: PIA History Timeline from 1947 - 1999*
Boeing Frontiers Online: The Road to Profitability: *
ATR Press Releases*
ILFC Press Release*
Boeing Press Release: PIA First to Fly Boeing 777-200LR Worldliner*
History of PIA - Historic Achievements and Recognitions*
Afriqonline: History of PIA*
Asia Times Online Article: Airbus, Boeing vie for Pakistan order*
Momi Gul Durrani;Official
*
Pakistan International Airlines*
PIA Cargo Tracking*
PIA Training Centre;Unofficial
*
History of PIA*
Global PIA*
AerPakistan*
Photographs of PIA taken by Waqas Usman*
PIA Inflight Meals*
Pakistan International Airlines Passenger Opinions;Fleet Details
*
PlaneSpotters.net*
AirFleet.net;Other
*
Pakistan International Airlines at the
Aviation Safety Network Database
