Pakistan International Airlines Corporation, پاکستان انٹرنیشنل ایئر لائنز, commonly known as PIA, is the flag carrier airline of Pakistan. The airline, with its head office on the grounds of Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, is one of the most recognisable airlines in Asia and operates scheduled services to 24 domestic destinations and 39 international destinations in 25 countries across Asia, Europe and North America. Its main bases are at Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad/Rawalpindi. PIA has been ranked as a 3-star airline by Skytrax, the world's official airline and airport reviewer.The airline's secondary bases include Peshawar, Faisalabad, Quetta, Sialkot and Multan, from which it connects the metropolitan cities with the main bases, the Middle East and the Far East. The airline is owned by the Government of Pakistan (87%) and other shareholders (13%). It employed 18,043 people as of May 2008.
History
'Pakistan International Airlines', or 'PIA' for short, can trace its beginnings to the days when Pakistan was not a nation, rather a region of British India. In 1946 Muhammed Ali Jinnah realised the need for an airline network for the forming country and called upon the help of an industrialist Mirza Ahmad Ispahani to develop a flag carrier for the nation. Meanwhile, an airline called 'Orient Airways', registered in Calcutta, was formed on 23 October 1946. In February 1947, the airline brought three DC-3 airplanes from a company in Texas, and in May of that year the airline was granted a licence to fly. Services were started in June from Kolkata to Sittwe and Yangon. This was the first post-war airline flight by a South Asian registered airline company.Two months after this service began, Pakistan was formed. Orient Airways began relief flights to the new nation and, soon after, it moved its operations to Karachi, where it began flights to Dhaka on 7 June 1954. In addition, the first two domestic routes in Pakistan were established, from Karachi to Lahore to Peshawar, and from Karachi to Quetta to Lahore.
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| PIA L1049C Super Constellation at London (Heathrow) Airport in 1955 |
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| A Convair CV-240 in the 1950s at Karachi airport |
The Government of Pakistan, realizing the operation was failing economically, proposed that Orient Airways merge into a new national airline. On 11 March 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, from Karachi to London Heathrow Airport via Cairo International Airport and Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Fiumicino, Italy, using three newly-acquired Lockheed L-1049C Super Constellations. The DC-3s continued operating the domestic services in Pakistan. In May 1956, PIA ordered two further Super Lockheed Constellations of the latest L-1049H version and five Vickers Viscount 815. In 1959, Malik Nur Khan was named Managing Director.
In March 1960, PIA became the first Asian airline to use jet aircraft when Boeing 707 services were introduced. The aircraft were wet leased from Pan American and in 1961 services were begun to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. In 1962, orders were placed for Boeing 720s, Fokker F27s and Sikorsky helicopters. One of PIA's Boeing 720s broke a world record that year, when it flew from London to Karachi non-stop in 6 hours and 43 minutes and 51 seconds during its delivery flight from Seattle, piloted by PIA's senior Captain Abdullah Baig, a record unbroken to this day. 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 PIA 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 Armed Forces with logistics and transport. In 1966, the Viscounts were phased out, substituted by four Hawker Siddeley Tridents. However, as growth surpassed the need for these aircraft, they were later sold to Civil Aviation Administration of China.
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 707-300s. In 1974 air freight services started, as well as a cargo service to New York City under the name, 'Pakistan International Cargo'. In 1975, PIA introduced new uniforms for air hostesses. These uniforms were chosen through an open competition, the winning entry was a design by Sir Hardy Amies who was designer to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
In 1976, leased Boeing 747-200Bs came into service. In 1979, the airline bought their first Boeing 747-200BM aircraft. 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 leased two of its own Boeing 720s to Air Malta during the 70s.
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| The Fokker F27 was once the backbone of PIA's northern area flights in the 1990s |
The 1980s began with the opening of a cargo centre in Karachi and the delivery of a new aircraft, Airbus A300B4-203. In 1981, a duty-free sales service was inaugurated. During 1982, the first C and D checks were carried out on the fleet in Karachi. In 1984, domestic night coach fare service was introduced to offer lower prices for low-income passengers. In 1985 the PIA Planetarium tourist attraction was inaugurated in Karachi and later in Lahore. In the same year, five Boeing 737-300s joined the fleet making PIA the first Asian operator of such a type. Two former PIA Boeing 720Bs now form part of the Planetarium's exhibition at Karachi and Lahore. In late 1987 and early 1988, flights were introduced to Malé and to Toronto Pearson International Airport, respectively. In 1989, the first women pilots started their career on passenger airplanes.
During June 1991, PIA received the first of six Airbus A310-300 aircraft on 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 Jakarta, Fujairah, Baku and Al-Ain to its destinations. Air Safari flights were launched in the same year using Boeing 737–300 aircraft over the Karakoram mountains. In 1995, PIA received a Boeing 747 flight simulation system and a used Air France A300 aircraft was bought. In 1996 the airline leased Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft, and re-opened services to Beirut.
PIA only used the Tupolev Tu-154 for a short time to deal with the demand during the summer of 1996. In 1999, PIA leased five Boeing 747–300 aircraft from Cathay Pacific to replace its aging Boeing 747-200M fleet. The aircraft wore a new livery with a handwork Pashmina tail on 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 copyright problems the livery was dropped. The Boeing 747-300s remained in the new look but with a plain green tail with PIA titles. The other aircraft in the fleet were repainted in the 1990s livery.
Expansion
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 and PIA operated it mainly on its North American and European routes. In October 2002, after a period of ten years without any new order, the airline purchased eight Boeing 777 aircraft from The Boeing Company, including three 777-200ER (Extended Range), two 777-200LR (Longer Range) and three 777-300ER versions. PIA was the launch customer that revived the Boeing 777-200LR project that, until then, only had three orders by EVA Air. The first two Boeing 777-200LR produced were test aircraft used by Boeing, before they were delivered to PIA. One of these Boeing 777-200LR was displayed at the Paris Airshow during 2005.
A promotional video by PIA on delivery of the Boeing 777
During 2004, PIA took delivery of its first Boeing 777-200ER aircraft in January. On delivery of the first three Boeing 777-200ERs the airline introduced a new aircraft livery, which was later applied to the majority of the fleet. PIA also acquired six half life Airbus A310-300/ET from the Airbus management on a ten year lease agreement. On 3 November 2005 PIA signed an agreement with the aircraft manufacturer, ATR to purchase seven ATR42-500. The aircraft were purchased to replace the aging F-27 aircraft. The seven ATR aircraft were delivered between 2006 and 2007.[citation needed] On 6 December 2005, PIA leased an additional new Boeing 777-200ER from the International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC). The aircraft had the same specifications as the previous Boeing 777-200ER that PIA operated. The aircraft was delivered in January 2007 on ten year lease to the airline.
On 25 February 2006 Boeing delivered its first 777-200LR Worldliner to PIA, where it flew from Everett to Islamabad via Manchester, England. PIA started non-stop flights from Toronto to Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore from 3 March 2006 taking advantage of Boeing 777-200LR's long range capability. PIA planned non-stop flights to New York City and other US cities with sizable Pakistani population centres, but was not given permission due to security reasons. On 31 May 2006, PIA took delivery of its first ATR aircraft from Toulouse, France. On 23 December 2006, PIA took delivery of its first Boeing 777-300ER. After 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. The military planes were being used after the Fokker F27 fleet was grounded due to a fatal crash in July 2006.
A pair of Boeing 747s stored at Sialkot in 2008 during the EU restrictions. However, once the ban was lifted the aircraft were back in use on all routes
On 5 March 2007, the European Commission, following an on-site visit, banned all but eight planes of PIA's 44-plane fleet from flying to Europe citing safety concerns. PIA was included in the List of air carriers banned in the European Union. The remaining eight, namely the fleet of Boeing 777s, has been exempted from the ban. PIA claims that this is discriminatory and the bans are not justifiable. On 26 March 2007, Tariq Saeed Kirmani resigned after severe pressure from higher authorities because of the EU ban[citation needed]. Zafar Khan was appointed as the new chairman of Pakistan International Airlines. A team from the European Union visited Karachi in July 2007, to check the condition of the planes and review the ban. On 5 July 2007, the EU lifted the restriction on 11 aircraft that PIA could fly into Europe, of which five were Boeing 747-300s and six Airbus A310-300s On 29 November 2007, The EU completely lifted the ban on PIA. In the same year, PIA signed a lease deal for seven new Airbus A320-200 from Kuwait based leasing company ALAFCO, the factory built aircraft were to be delivered between 2009 and 2010, however the deal however was cancelled in 2008.
During April 2009, the management decided to launch a long-term ‘Business Plan of PIA’ including purchase of new aircraft with details of the plan being finalised.
Corporate management
Structure
Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (PIAC) is majority owned by the Government of Pakistan (87%) while the remainder (13%) by private shareholders. The airline falls under the direction of the Ministry of Defence chaired by its current chairman, Ahmad Mukhtar. The airline is managed by managing director, Captain Aijaz Haroon as well as the Board of Directors. The Board consists of nine independent non-executive members and has four sub-committees, being an Audit Committee, Brand and Advertising Committee, Finance Committee and Human Resource Committee each with its own charter and chairman. The MD leads the executive management of staff who control the running of the airline. The airline's main headquarters are located in Karachi whilst smaller sub head offices are located in several cities within Pakistan.
Privatisation
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| PIA offices in Lahore |
In the late 1990s, the Government of Pakistan considered selling the airline to the private sector due to the persistent losses suffered by the airline. The Government announced the privatisation plans but they were never implemented. Several steps towards outsourcing of non-core business have been initiated. Catering units (starting with Karachi Flight Kitchen), ground handling (starting with ramp services) and engineering, are to be gradually carved out of the airline and operated as independent companies. During 1997, Pakistan called in a team from International Finance (IFC), the consulting arm of the World Bank, to advise on restructuring and privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) however no agreement was reached. The government has many times planned the privatization of the State owned. however as of yet no reasonable agreement or solution has been found. On 18 February 2009 the carrier was dropped from the privatisation list.
Financial performance
The following table gives the key financial results for the 2009 financial year along with those for the past five years. The airline reported a reduction of post tax losses of 83% in 2009 (compared to 2008) based on a reduction in fuel cost, comparatively stable exchange rate for the Pakistan Ruppee and higher revenues. The exchange losses due to declining Ruppee rate were reported to be PKR 6.71 billion in 2009 compared to a whopping PKR 24.12 billion in 2008.
The airline also faces other challenges to its profitability such as staffing levels and overall management challenges. An employee count of 17,944 for a fleet of 40 aircraft is clearly an area that needs to be reviewed.
Revenues
| Year | Revenues (Rs. Million) | Profit/(Loss) (Rs. Million) | Employees (Ave.) |
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| 2009 | 94,564 | (5,822) | 17,944 |
| 2008 | 88,863 | (36,139) | 18,036 |
| 2007 | 70,481 | (13,399) | 18,149 |
| 2006 | 70,587 | (12,763) | 18,282 |
| 2005 | 64,074 | (4,412) | 19,263 |
| 2004 | 57,788 | 2,307 | 19,634 |
The current year interim results (half yearly report for 2010) do not show any improvement in profitability. The after tax losses reported for the first six months of 2010 are PKR 6.90 billion as compared to PKR 5.39 billion for the first six months of 2009. Revenue, however, did increase to PKR 49.31 billion for the first half of 2010 compared with PKR 41.92 billion for the first half of 2009.
Passenger traffic has been more or less static over the last five years hovering around the five and a half million mark with a load factor of around 70%.
Passenger Traffic
| Year | Revenue Passengers (Million) | Passenger Load Factor | Average Passenger Stage Distance (Statute KM) |
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| 2009 | 5.535 | 70% | 2,510 |
| 2008 | 5.617 | 71% | 2,479 |
| 2007 | 5.415 | 67% | 2,527 |
| 2006 | 5.732 | 69% | 2,639 |
| 2005 | 5.499 | 70% | 2,638 |
| 2004 | 5.120 | 66% | 2,641 |
It is interesting to look at the annual revenue breakdown for 2009: 89.4% is from passenger traffic with just 5.3% from cargo. The remaining 5.3% is from excess baggage charges, charter, engineering and other services.
Destinations
Pakistan International Airlines destinations
Pakistan
Present destinations
Former destinations
A Pakistan International Airlines A310 at Dubai International Airport
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Dubai is a major focus city for the airline with flights to Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Faisalabad, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Peshawar, Quetta and Sialkot
PIA serves 23 domestic destinations and 36 international destinations in 25 countries across Asia, Europe, North America as of September 2009 from its home bases of Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar.
Codeshare agreements
PIA has codeshare agreements with the following four airlines:
Aerosvit Airlines
China Southern Airlines (Skyteam)
Thai Airways International (Star Alliance)
Turkish Airlines (Star Alliance)
Fleet
The Pakistan International Airlines fleet includes the following aircraft (as of January 2011). The Boeing Customer Code for Pakistan International Airlines is 40 (i.e. 777-240).
Pakistan International Airlines Fleet
| Aircraft | Total | Order | Passengers
(Business/Economy Plus^/Economy) | Notes |
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| Airbus A310-300 | 12 | — | 184 (12/40/132)
205 (18/43/144)
205 (18/45/142) | |
| ATR 42-500 | 7 | — | 50 (10/40) | |
| Boeing 737-300 | 6 | — | 118 (0/24/94)
119 (0/27/92) | |
| Boeing 747-200M | 1 | — | 448 (0/0/448) | |
| Boeing 747-300 | 5 | — | 478 (0/30/448) | |
| Boeing 777-200ER | 4 | — | 320 (35/45/240)
329 (35/54/240) | |
| Boeing 777-200LR | 2 | — | 310 (35/60/215) | |
| Boeing 777-300ER | 3 | — | 393 (35/60/304) | |
| Total | 40 | — | | |
|---|
^ Economy Plus only on domestic routes
ATR 42
Boeing 737-300
Airbus A310-300
Boeing 747–300
Boeing 777-200ER
Boeing 777-200LR
Boeing 777-300ER
Fleet developments
The airline is said to be in talks with Airbus and Boeing and is discussing narrowbody replacements for the 20+ year old Boeing 737-300. According to PIA Chairman Captain Aijaz, "The airline plans to acquire up to 27 aircraft, through a mix of orders and leases. We'll place seven firm orders with nine purchase rights, and take ten from leasing companies. Deliveries will start at the end of 2010.".
PIA will also be upgrading their entire Airbus A310-300 fleet to increase their utilization.
On 4th Nov, 2010, Defence Minister Chaudhary Ahmed Mukhtar revealed that Pakistan International Airlines plans to buy 40 new aircraft during the next five years.
Livery
A Boeing 777 in the new and current livery PIA.
In December 2003 PIA introduced a new image that was applied to their first 777-200ER and on two leased A310-300s one of which was in service. The livery was white at the front and beige at the rear separated by a dark green stripe. The tail was painted white with PIA written in dark green. PAKISTAN was added to the front fuselage and the engines where painted beige. The PIA written in calligraphic Urdu was added just behind the cockpit.
However, due to criticism the design was modified before the first Boeing 777 was delivered. PIA and Boeing replaced the tail with a flowing Pakistan flag on a beige background. PAKISTAN titles were removed and the PIA acronym was enlarged and moved onto the fuselage. The engines and Urdu PIA remained the same. The leased A310s and most of PIA fleet also adopted this livery at a later date.
In early 2006 the airline launched four new tail designs for its fleet. The tails represented the four provinces of Pakistan: Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa and Balochistan. The tails promoted the cultures of the four provinces of Pakistan by applying motifs to the tails and adding a city name to the rear of the fuselage corresponding to the province. The "Frontier" tail represented the "Phulkari" (flowering) pattern that reflected a tradition of embroidery generally done on shawls, shirts and linen. The "Punjab" tail was loosely related to the tile decoration of the Wazir Khan Mosque in Lahore. The "Balochistan" tail showed the creativity seen in the kilims, carpets and rugs woven with wool, goat or camel hair and mixed yarn. The pattern is mostly bold geometric motifs in primary colours dominated by red. The "Sindh" tail was influenced from the Hala tile work with electric blue and white floral patterns. In 2008 management stopped the application of provincial tails deeming them too costly.
PIA launched their new livery in early April 2010. An Airbus A310, Boeing 777–200 and Boeing 747–300 were the first aircraft to wear the new look. The livery was unveiled at the PIA headquarters on a Boeing 777 model. The livery is loosely based on the hugely popular 1980s "Sohni Dharti" livery and is expected to be painted on all of the active fleet when they are put into routine maintenance.
The livery consists of a Green and Gold strip running around the bottom of the fuselage and continuing right up until the tail cone. The forward/upper portion is white and at the rear it is an off white/beige colour. The bottom part of the tail blends into the upper fuselage as it is too white with the rest of the tail painted with a large wavy Pakistan flag which takes up the whole tail in a dark green colour. At the front of the fuselage 'PIA' is written in a billboard style in dark green and underneath 'Pakistan International' is written in gold. Just behind the cockpit there is a stylised Urdu PIA logo as well as on the engines. Underneath 'Pakistan' is written in bold on the aircraft belly
Services
Cabin
PIA operate a three class configuration on its domestic routes which include Business Plus, Economy Plus+ and Economy. However on their international flights a two class configuration, Business Plus and Economy, has remained popular. According to the Annual Report 2007, PIA recorded a seat factor of 69%, a percentage drop from 2006. PIA Business Plus passengers are offered flat bed seats on all Boeing 777 as well as select Airbus A310 aircraft.
Newspapers and magazines
The PIA in-flight magazine, Humsafar (Urdu for "travel companion"), is provided to all passengers on all international and domestic flights. Humsafar was introduced on PIA flights in 1980 and is printed and published in-house on a bi-monthly basis. General Urdu and English newspapers and magazines are available to all Business Plus and Economy Plus class passengers on PIA flights. Free newspapers are provided to all Economy class passengers.
Frequent flyer programme
PIA Awards Plus+ is the frequent flyer programme. The programme allows passengers to get free tickets, excess baggage vouchers, cabin upgrades, and a variety of rewards, special deals, and discounts with programme participants. Awards Plus+ has three tiers of membership – Emerald, Sapphire and Diamond. Awards Plus+ miles can be earned by flying PIA and by using the products and services of PIA's partners.
Catering
PIA Catering are the main suppliers of meals for the airline. They can produce 15,000 passenger meals each day. However since 2006, the management control of the flight kitchens has been given to Singapore Air Terminal Services (SATS).PIA Catering also provide special meals to allow for passengers' dietary and religious needs. PIA is a dry airline – it does not serve alcohol on its flights.No Alcohol beverages or pork are served on board because of the religious law.
Cargo operations
PIA operates a cargo delivery system within Pakistan. During the early 1970s, PIA operated a service called "Air Express" that delivered documents and parcels from one airport to another. Pakistan International Cargo was started in 1974 using two Boeing 707-320C, with services to the Middle East and Europe. The operations ended in the late 1990s when both aircraft were grounded. PIA Cargo transports goods across Pakistan as well as to international destinations. These include meat and vegetables, textiles, paper products, laboratory equipment and postal mail.
In 2003 PIA launched "'PIA Speedex'", a courier service in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi/Islamabad; expanding within a year to 12 cities. Today, the airline offers over 70 locations within Pakistan, with shipments collected and delivered from customers' homes. From 2004 to September 2007, PIA Cargo operated two Airbus A300 Freighter aircraft chartered through MNG Airlines to Haan and Luton; initially these also operated to Amsterdam, Basel and Cologne.
Corporate sponsorship
The PIA Planetariums are theatres presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky. The sites have a static Boeing 720 aircraft on display.
The airline has sponsored events, both within Pakistan and in its overseas markets.
In the 1990s, the airline launched the three green stripe livery to represent its support for sports. The airline supports a first-class cricket team that plays in the ABN AMRO Patron's Trophy in Pakistan. PIA also sponsors the A1 Team Pakistan in the A1 Grand Prix open-wheel auto racing series when it was initially launched. The airline also promotes the Shandur Polo Gala, that takes place every year in the Chitral and Gilgit regions of northern Pakistan during the summer period. PIA also has its own Sports Division since 1958 promoting sports within Pakistan such as cricket, hockey, football, squash, polo, tennis, bridge, chess, table tennis, cycling, and body building. PIA has its own Boy Scouts Association (PIA-BSA) working in partnership with Pakistan Boy Scouts Association. After the earthquake, PIA-BSA worked in partnership with other charity organisations to provide relief help.
PIA was one of the official sponsors of the "Destination Pakistan 2007" festivals. The official logo was added to a select number of aircraft during the year In 2008, PIA teamed up with mobile phone provider, Ufone to provide air miles to passengers who used the mobile network. Standard Chartered Bank and PIA launched Credit Cards allowing passengers to earn air miles for use of their credit cards. In 2009, PIA was the gold sponsor for Logistics Pakistan, an Exhibition and Conference poised to highlight the emerging opportunities for the Logistics sector in Pakistan. In 2009, PIA and Pakistan Remittance Initiative (PRI) formed a stategic alliance to promote world money transfers.
PIA has Planetariums in Karachi and Lahore which enable the public to see static aircraft as well as astronomy shows. PIA Horticulture, set up in 1996, provides flowers for display in PIA's offices and for events, winning awards and accolades at flower exhibitions across the country. The airline supports non-profit organisations within Pakistan such as; Al-Shifa Trust, Zindagi Trust, The Citizens Foundation and Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT). In 2009, PIA teamed up with the fast-food franchise, McDonalds, to offer passengers discounts on meals and upgrades. PIA also owns three hotels, the Roosevelt Hotel, the Scribe Hotel and Skyrooms (Private) Limited. The airline also has an agreement with Pearl Continental Hotels for its UAE based passengers.
Achievements and recognitions
PIA was the first Asian airline to receive the Boeing 737–300
First airline in the world to operate scheduled helicopter services.[citation needed]
First Asian airline to land in Norway
First non-Communist airline to land in China
First airline in the world to take delivery of the Boeing 777-200LR Worldliner (Longer Range Variant).
First airline in Pakistan to operate a flight with an all female crew at command and in the cabin.
First airline in the world to operate the Boeing 777-200ER, 777-200LR and 777-300ER altogether – all the three variants available on the market at the time.
In 2005, the airline was awarded the IATA Operational Safety Registration (IOSA).
PIA was given the first place award for the biggest volume increase in 2006, by Frankfurt Airport Authority.
First airline to take delivery of the Boeing 777–200 Longer Range Variant.
PIA was given three domestic awards in 2008: The "Brands of the Year" Award, "Consumers Choice Award" and "One The Best Airlines Award (Cargo)".
PIA was awarded a shield by Presidency of Civil Aviation in Saudi Arabia in recognition of distinguished Passenger Services compared to other airlines conducting Hajj operations 2009–2010 at Jeddah Airport.]
Special operations
Charter services
PIA operates private charter flights using ATR 42s to Bhit, Kadanwari and Sawan Airport in Sindh as well as to other parts of the country on behalf of oil and gas companies. Ad hoc charters for United Nations peacekeeping troops are also carried out to Africa and Eastern Europe using Boeing 747s.
Hajj and Umrah operations
PIA operates a two-month (pre- and post-)
Hajj and Umrah operation each year to and from Jeddah and sometimes Madinah in Saudi Arabia. PIA transports over 130,000 intending pilgrims each year from Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Faisalabad, Multan, Sialkot, and Sukkur to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with its fleet of Boing 747-300 and Boing 777-200 ER. State officials transportation
Callsign "PAKISTAN 001" carrying the President on PIA's Boeing 707 photographed in Germany, c.1961
PIA has been continuously serving government officials of Pakistan, mainly President of Pakistan and Prime Minister of Pakistan. Military and Judicial personnel also enjoy huge discounts on PIA flights. PIA has always transported the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan on overseas visits. During the late 1990s, a PIA Boeing 737–300 was used for official visits by the Bhutto and Sharif governments. The aircraft wore official government colours but was later repainted in the airline official colours at the end of the decade. When the government changed after a military coup in 1999, the Boeing B737 was transferred to PIA permanently. The President and Prime Minister then resorted to using two of PIA's Airbus A310-300 for official visits, while rare trips were done on regular commercial flights of the airline. In February 2007 the government of Qatar gifted one of their VIP fleet A310 to the Pakistani government, this has ended the need for use of PIA aircraft. However, from time to time the government uses the airline's Boeing 737 or Airbus A310 for official trips.
Incidents and accidents
Since it began services, seven Pakistan International Airlines flights have crashed. PIA has a record of 5.00 fatalities per million flights.
The memorial tablet placed at the crash site in Cairo for those who died on PIA Flight 705 on 20 May 1965.
On 18 May 1959, Vickers Viscount AP-AJC was damaged beyond economic repair on landing at Islamabad International Airport.
On 14 August 1959, Vickers Viscount AP-AJE crashed at Karachi International Airport while attempting an overshoot with two engines inoperative on a training flight. Two of the three people on board were killed.
PIA Flight 705 was a Boeing 720 – 040 B that crashed while descending to land on Runway 34 at Cairo International Airport on 20 May 1965 resulting in 119 fatalities.
Flight 17 was a Sikorsky S-61 that crashed on 2 February 1966 on a scheduled domestic flight in East Pakistan with 23 killed and one survivor.
PIA Flight 740 was a Boeing 707-340C that crashed after takeoff from Jeddah International Airport on 26 November 1979. Flight PK740 departed Jeddah at 01:29 for a flight to Karachi.
PIA Flight 326 was hijacked on 2 March 1981 by three gunmen, and flown to Kabul. For almost two weeks, more than 100 passengers were held captive on the Boeing 720 until Pakistan released 55 prisoners. One passenger, Pakistani diplomat Tariq Rahim, was murdered during the ordeal.
PIA Flight 268 was an Airbus A300B4-203, registration AP-BCP, which crashed on approach to Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport on 28 September 1992. All 167 on board were killed.
PIA Flight 544 was the flight number of a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Fokker F27 that was hijacked on 25 May 1998. All passengers and crew escaped unhurt during the incident.
PIA Flight 688 was a Fokker F27 was scheduled to operate from Multan to Lahore and then to Islamabad. At 12:05pm on 10 July 2006, it crashed into a field after bursting into flames a few minutes after takeoff from Multan International Airport. All 41 passengers and four crew members on board were killed.
Wikinews has related news: Man released following bomb-scare forced flight diversion, warning a possible hoax
PIA Flight 782, carrying 273 people bound from Toronto for Karachi, landed at Stockholm's Arlanda Airport on September 2010 because of a "hoax" bomb threat on board. After evacuating the passengers from the plane, a thorough check was made to find any explosives, if present, on the aircraft. Police operation leader Stephan Radman said later that no explosives were found on board.
(source:wikipedia)
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