Pakistan International Airlines

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Pakistan International Airlines
IATA PK	ICAO PIA	Callsign PAKISTAN
Founded		1946 (as Orient Airways)
Hubs		Jinnah Int'l Airport Allama Iqbal Int'l Airport
Focus cities		Islamabad Int'l Airport Peshawar Int'l Airport Manchester Airport
Frequent flyer program		PIA Awards Plus
Fleet size		46 (+ 3 orders)
Destinations		66
Parent company		Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (PIAC)
Headquarters		Karachi, Pakistan
Key people		Tariq Kirmani (Former Chairman)
Website: http://www.piac.com.pk

Pakistan International Airlines (also referred to as PIA), is the national flag carrier of Pakistan and the national airline 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.

It also serves regional airports, including Peshawar International Airport, Faisalabad International Airport, Quetta International Airport and Multan International Airport, that connect to the main hubs and have flights to the Middle East.

Contents 1 History 1.1 The 1950s and 1960s 1.2 The 1970s and 1980s 1.3 The 1990s 1.4 The 21st century 1.4.1 Boeing 777 1.4.2 French ATR replaces Fokker 1.4.3 Corporate Livery Change 1.4.4 E.U. Ban 2 Fleet 2.1 Current Fleet 3 Destinations 3.1 Code Share 3.2 Cargo 4 Achievements and Recognitions 5 Promotion in sport 6 Hajj and Umrah operations 7 Privatization 8 Incidents and accidents 9 References 10 External links

[edit] History

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. Orient Airways, registered in Calcutta, was formed on October 23 1946, 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 a South Asian 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 Dhaka. In addition, their initial domestic route in Pakistan was established, from Karachi to Lahore to Peshawar, and from Karachi to Quetta to Lahore.

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.

[edit] The 1950s and 1960s

In 1956 PIA ordered two Super Lockheed Constellations and five Vickers 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 less than 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.

[edit] 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^[1] and lost a couple of its aircraft to Indian Air Force fighters.^[2] 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 was 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 inaugurated. 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.

[edit] The 1990s

In the early 1990s, PIA flourished under the supervision of various chairmen, most notably Mumtaz Hameed. 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. During 1994 PIA added more destinations 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 a used Air France A300 aircraft was bought. 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 painted aircraft 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.

[edit] The 21st century

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.

[edit] Boeing 777

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 this 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 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.

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.

On December 23, 2006, PIA took delivery of its first Boeing 777-300ER that flew from Seattle to Islamabad via Manchester. The aircraft featured the Sindh provincial tail and had markings "Thar - Colours of the Desert".

In March, 2007 the European Union banned PIA aircraft except the 777 from landing in the 27 country EU bloc. The EU expressed major concers about the airworthyness and cabin quality of the airplanes. The airline has planned to lease several aircraft to comply with the EU Air Safety and to continue smooth operations of the flights to EU, US and Canada.

[edit] French ATR replaces 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. 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, 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.^{[citation needed]}

As a result of the arrival of a second ATR 42-500 PIA has ceased using military Lockheed C-130 Hercules for passenger services in the north of Pakistan, used after its Fokker F27 fleet was grounded after a fatal crash in July 2006. This had also prompted PIA to move Boeing 737 aircraft from international to domestic services. Two more ATR 42 aircraft are on order to arrive by May 2007.^[3]

[edit] Corporate Livery Change

In December 2003 PIA introduced a new image this was also applied to their first 777-200ER [1] and another newly leased A310-300 the design on both aircraft was changed before delivery to PIA, and was modified with the tail being painted beige with a flowing Pakistan flag. The PIA lettering was enlarged and moved to the fuselage.

In early 2006 PIA unveiled four designs representing the four provinces of Pakistan to be applied throughout their fleet, these will replace the present flag.

[edit] E.U. Ban

This section documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.

On March 5, 2007, the European Commission banned all but eight planes of PIA's 44-planes fleet flying to Europe citing safety concerns. PIA has been blacklisted by 27 European Union states.^[4] The remaining seven, namely the fleet of 777s, has been exempted from the ban.^[5] PIA claims that this is discriminatory and the bans are not justifiable.Because of the EU ban Pakistan is losing dominance for flights from Europe to Near-East or Pakistan because Etihad Airways and Emirates are winning passengers for this route.^[5]

On March 26, 2007, Tariq Saeed Kimani has resigned after sever pressure from higher authorities because of the EU ban, including disagreements with the engineering department, as well as the poor findings for the Fokker crash investigation. Kirmani will remain chairman until a new chairman can be appointed. [2]

[edit] Fleet

[edit] Current Fleet

The Pakistan International Airlines fleet includes the following aircraft (as of April 2007):^[6]

• 14 Airbus A310-300 (2 wet lease from Saga Airlines)
• 2 Airbus A321-200 (Wet lease from Inter Airlines TC-IEF & IEG)
• 5 ATR 42-500 (2 on order)
• 7 Boeing 737-300
• 3 Boeing 747-200 Combi (1 leased from Air Universal for PIA Express)
• 6 Boeing 747-300
• 4 Boeing 777-200ER
• 2 Boeing 777-200LR
• 2 Boeing 777-300ER (One on Order)
• 1 L1011-500 (wet lease Luzair OD-MIR)

[edit] Destinations

Further information: Pakistan International Airlines destinations

[edit] Code Share

China Southern Airlines code share on PIA's Islamabad-Beijing service and PIA on the Urumqi-Islamabad route, operated by China Southern.

Turkish Airlines code share Islamabad-Istanbul-Frankfurt operated by PIA, while PIA code share Karachi-Istanbul-Karachi operated by Turkish Airlines.

PIA has code share with Aerosvit on Dubai-Kiev-Dubai route, as well, operated by Aerosvit.

[edit] Cargo

PIA Cargo freighter operations ended in late 1990s when both 707-300C aircraft were grounded, but two A300 freighters leased from Turkey's MNG Airlines fly for PIA Cargo to London Luton Airport.

[edit] Achievements and Recognitions

• First airline from an Asian country to fly the Super Constellation.
• 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.
• First airline in the world to operate scheduled helicopter services.
• First airline to show in-flight movies on international routes.
• 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 Asian airline to start flights to Oslo, the capital city of Norway.
• 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.

[edit] Promotion in sport

• Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) 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 is held during the Northern Hemisphere winter off-season of the FIA Formula 1 Grand Prix series.

[edit] Hajj and Umrah operations

PIA operates an extensive two month 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 306 flights in its Hajj operations, which extended over a period of 26 days. A total of 88243 Hajjis (pilgrims) were transported from 12th Feb 2000 to 14 April, 2000.

PIA also operates flights from Pakistan to Jeddah and other destinations in Saudi Arabia during the Umrah season. To deal with the demand the airline leases 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.

[edit] Privatization

PIA is owned by the government of Pakistan. The privatization of PIA has been announced but was never implemented by the government. Though PIA reported a total turnover of $1 billion in 2005, profitability was affected due to doubling of global fuel prices since 2000. [3] [4] The high gasoline prices have increased yearly losses. In first six months of 2006, PIA has lost $100 million dollars (Rs. 6 billion) by June 30, 2006. Another source of PIA's inefficiency has been the over-staffing of employees over the past 10-20 years that have deem to cripple the organisations finances because of too many salaries to give despite little or no work being done by such a large number of extra employees.PIA suffers over Rs 6 billion loss

[edit] Incidents and accidents

• Flight PK268 (Kathmandu, September 28, 1992)
• Flight PK554 (Turbat, May 25, 1998) Failed hijack attempt.
• PIA Boeing 777 "AP-BGL" incident at Manchester Ringway International
  • Images from Manchester brake fire on 1 March, 2005 [5] and [6]
  • The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report on the Boeing 777
• Flight PK688 (Multan, July 10, 2006)

[edit] References

1. ^ The Evolution of The Pakistan Army By Brig. (Ret.) Noor A. Husain
2. ^ AIRCRAFT LOSSES IN PAKISTAN -1971 WAR (PAF, Army Aviation, and Civilian aircraft Casualties) - by P V S Jagan Mohan
3. ^ Flight International 12-18 December 2006
4. ^ E.U. to ban PIA
5. ^ ^{a b} EU banes Pakistan airline flights - BBC News - Obtained March 5, 2007.
6. ^ PIA website November 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 vies for Pakistan order
• [7]

[edit] External links

Official

• Official site
• Cargo Tracking
• Training Center

Unofficial

• Global PIA
• History of PIA
• Passenger Opinions
• Photographs
• Inflight Meals

Fleet Details

• AirFleet.net
• PlaneSpotters.net

Other

• Pakistan International Airlines at the Aviation Safety Network Database

	Airlines of Pakistan
Current Airlines	Aero Asia • Airblue • PIA • SAI • JSA
Cargo Airlines	DHL Cargo Pakistan • Pakistan International Cargo • Royal Airlines Cargo • Star Air • TCS Couriers
Charter Companies	Askari Aviation • Jahangir Siddiqui Charter • Royal Airlines • Schon Air • Pricely Jets
Future Airlines	Air Mashriq • DIA • Pearl Air • Safe Air
Defunct Airlines	Bhoja Air • Hajvairy Airlines • Orient Airways • Pak-Air • Raji Airlines • Super Airways
Other	Airports • CAA of Pakistan • List of airlines • List of defunct airlines • Shaheen Airport Services • Transport