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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 and Rawalpindi from which all international flights depart.

There are also many regional airports, including Peshawar International Airport, Peshawar, Faisalabad International Airport, Faisalabad and Multan International Airport, Multan that connect to the main hubs and have flights to the middle east.

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.

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 Dhaka. 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 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.

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 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.

The 1990s

In the early 1990's, PIA flourished under the supervision of competent 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 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

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.

In October 2006, the EU announced that flights of PIA's two B747-200B Combis and three B747-300s would not be allowed in European countries, while three B747-300s and five A310-300s of the airline have been given conditional approval for flights to Europe. This is due to recurring technical problems on the planes. When the ban was announced, PIA invested heavily in its Boeing 747 fleet to make them reach EU standards. On November 22, 2006, after a maintenance check on its Boeing 747 fleet, PIA flew a Boeing 747-300 to London Heathrow from Karachi for an inspection by the Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft Programme (SAFA). After checking, the EASA approved PIA to use its Boeing 747 fleet in European countries.

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 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 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 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 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.

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. Five more ATR 42 aircraft are on order to arrive by May 2007.

Corporate Identity change

In December 2003 PIA introduced a totally different new image this was also applied to their first 777-200ER seen here 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 and a flowing Pakistan flag placed on it, PIA acronym was enlarged and moved onto 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.

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.

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 - Desert of Colours".

Fleet

Current Fleet

The Pakistan International Airlines fleet includes the following aircraft (as of November 2006):

• 12 Airbus A310-300
• 3 ATR 42-500 (plus 4 on order)
• 7 Boeing 737-300
• 2 Boeing 747-200 Combi
• 1 Boeing 747-200 (for PIA Express)
• 6 Boeing 747-300
• 3 Boeing 777-200ER (plus 1 on order)
• 2 Boeing 777-200LR
• 1 Boeing 777-300ER (plus 2 on order)
• 2 de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter

Hajj Fleet

The airline also leases several aircraft during the Hajj season, for the 2006 Hajj, the following aircraft have so far been aquired.

• 2 Airbus 321-200 (Wetlease from Inter Airlines)
• 1 Airbus 310-300 (Wetlease from Saga Airlines)
• 1 Boeing 747-100 (Wetlease from Air Universal)
• 2 L1011-Tristar (Wetlease from Luzair)

Speculation

• PIA is 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 A320-200 or 737-800 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.

Destinations

Code share

PIA's first ever code share was signed with China Southern Airlines in 2004 it has yet to became operational.

Turkish Airlines codeshares on PIA Istanbul-Islamabad flights and PIA on Turkish Airlines Karachi-Istanbul route as well as London Stansted Airport-Istanbul with onward connection on PIA to Islamabad.

PIA also code share on Aerosvit from Dubai to Kiev while Aerosvit apply their code to PIA flights on the Karachi-Dubai route.

Cargo

PIA Cargo freighter operations ended in late 1990's when both 707-321C aircraft were grounded, currently two A300 freighters wet leased from Turkey's MNG Airlines fly for PIA Cargo to Luton, Hahn and Cologne.

Achievements and Recognitions

• First airline in the world to have an Boeing land from Seattle, Washington non-stop by Captain Musa Salehjee.
• First airline from an Asian 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.
• 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 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.

Promotion in sport

• 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 is held during the Northern Hemisphere winter off-season of the FIA Formula 1 Grand Prix series.

Hajj and Umrah operations

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 Hajjis (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.

VIP transportation

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 visits 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.

• Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 737 in Government Colours

Privatization

PIA is owned by the government of Pakistan. The privatization of PIA has been announced but was never implemented by the government. PIA is overstaffed by political appointees that cannot be dismissed. Though PIA reported a total turnover of $1 billion in 2005, profitability was affected due to doubling of global fuel prices since 2000. 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. PIA suffers over Rs 6 billion loss

Incidents and accidents

• Flight PK705 (Cairo, May 20, 1965)
• 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 and
  • The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report on the Boeing 777
• Flight PK688 (Multan, July 10, 2006)

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. 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

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See also

External links

Official

• Pakistan International Airlines
• PIA Cargo Tracking
• PIA Training Center

Unofficial

• AerPakistan
• Global PIA
• History of PIA
• Pakistan International Airlines Passenger Opinions
• Photographs of PIA taken by Waqas Usman
• PIA Inflight Meals

Fleet Details

• AirFleet.net
• PlaneSpotters.net

Other

• Pakistan International Airlines at the Aviation Safety Network Database

• Airlines of Pakistan
• Pakistani first class cricket teams
• State corporations of Pakistan