'Pakistan International Airlines Corporation', more commonly known as 'Pakistan International Airlines' or 'PIA' (
Urdu: پی آئی اے يا پاکستان انٹرنیشنل ایرلاینز), is the national flag carrier
airline of
Pakistan, based in
Karachi. It operates scheduled services to 46 destinations throughout
Asia, the
Middle East,
Europe and
North America, as well as an extensive domestic network linking 24 destinations.
[1] It is the only state-owned airline in the country since independence. Its main bases are
Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, the
Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore and the
Islamabad International Airport, Islamabad/Rawalpindi. The airline also has secondary bases, including Peshawar International Airport, Faisalabad International Airport, Quetta International Airport and Multan International Airport, from which it connects the metropolitan cities with the main bases,
Middle East and
Far East. The airline has also been chosen as the official airline for the "Destination Pakistan 2007" celebrations.
[2] The airline is owned by the Government of Pakistan (87%) and other shareholders (13%). It has 19,263 employees (at March
2007).
History
'Pakistan International Airlines' or 'PIA' for short can trace its beginnings to the days when Pakistan still was not a nation. In 1946,
Muhammed Ali Jinnah, realized the need for an airline network for the forming country. He called upon the help of an experienced industrialist
Mirza Ahmad Ispahani to develop a new flag carrier for the nation. Meanwhile, an airline called '
Orient Airways', registered in
Calcutta, was formed on
October 23 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 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 was formed. Orient Airways began relief flights to the new nation, and soon after, it moved its operations to
Karachi, where it began flights from Karachi to
Dhaka on June 7, 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.
The Government of Pakistan, realizing the operation was failing economically, proposed Orient Airways to merge into a new national airline that the government was already in planning. On
March 11 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 International Airport in
Fiumicino, Italy using Lockheed L-1049C Super Constellation. The DC-3s continued operating the domestic services in Pakistan. In May 1956, PIA ordered two ''Super
Lockheed Constellations'' and five
Vickers Viscount 815. In 1959,
Nur Khan was named managing director.

PIA Fokker F27 - the backbone of PIA's northern area flights
In March 1960, PIA became the first
Asian airline to enter the jet age when
Boeing 707 service were introduced. The aircraft were wet leased from
Pan American and in 1961 services were begun to
JFK International Airport in
New York. 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 when 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 forces with logistics and transport. In 1966, the Viscounts were phased out, substituted by four
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[3] and lost a couple of its aircraft to
Indian Air Force fighters.
[4]. 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 under the name, 'Pakistan International Cargo'. In 1975, PIA introduced new uniforms for PIA stewardesses, and in 1976, leased
Boeing 747s came into service. 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 and the delivery of a new aircraft,
Airbus A300B4-203. In 1981, PIA was named "most efficient airline to the
Hajj operation", and 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 coach fare service at night was introduced to offer cheaper prices for low-income passengers. In 1985 the
PIA Planetarium tourist attraction was inaugurated in Karachi and later in Lahore which still have static Boeing 707s on display for the general public. In the same year, five
Boeing 737s joined the fleet making PIA the first asian operator of such a type. 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.
During June 1991, PIA received the first of six
Airbus A310-308 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 more destinations with
Jakarta,
Fujairah,
Baku and
Al-Ain and for the first time air safari flights were launched using a Boeing 737 over the
Karakorom Range. 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. 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, PIA 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 copyright problems the livery was dropped. The Boeing 747-300s remained in the new look but with a plain green tail with PIA titles, however, the other aircraft in the fleet were repainted in the 1990s livery.

The PIA Boeing 777 family in 2004 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 and PIA operated the six aircraft mainly on the North American and European routes. Later after a period of ten years of no new orders 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 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.
During 2004, PIA took delivery of its first Boeing 777 aircraft in January, where the aircraft flew from Seattle to Islamabad via London Heathrow. By March of the same year all three B777-200ER variants that had been ordered were delivered and operating flights to
UK,
North America and
USA. On delivery of the first three Boeing 777s the airline introduced a new livery to its fleet, 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
November 3,
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. On 6 December 2005, PIA leased an additional new Boeing 777 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 and on lease for ten years to the airline. On
February 25,
2006 Boeing delivered its first B777-200LR Worldliner to PIA, where it flew from
Everett to Islamabad via
Manchester,
England. Since the long range Boeing 777 can operate further 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
May 31, 2006, PIA took delivery of its first ATR aircraft from Toulouse, France. On December 23, 2006, PIA took delivery of its first
Boeing 777-300ER that flew from
Seattle to Islamabad via Manchester. 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.

PIA B747-300 currently grounded due to EU Ban
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 was blacklisted by 27
European Union states.
[5] The remaining eight, namely the fleet of 777s, has been exempted from the ban.
[6] 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 the Near-East or Pakistan because
Etihad Airways and
Emirates are winning passengers for this route.
6 The airline is urgently seeking to
wet lease widebody aircraft. It is currently operating long-haul services with its eight Boeing 777 aircraft and two wet leased
Airbus A310[7]. On
March 26,
2007, Tariq Saeed Kirmani resigned after severe pressure from higher authorities because of the EU ban, including disagreements with the engineering department, as well as the poor findings for the July 2006
Fokker crash investigation. Zafar Khan has been appointed as new Chairman of Pakistan International Airlines, he was previously the chairman of
Karachi Stock Exchange[8] [9] A team from the European Union is due to visit Karachi in
July,
2007, to check the condition of the planes at the time and review the ban. PIA have grounded 8 aircraft (5
A310's and 3
B747's) and are conducting maintenance work on them to bring them according to the E.U standards. EU ban on PIA airbuses may last till
November,
2007.
[10] On July 4, 2007, the EU lifted the restriction on eleven aircraft that PIA could fly into Europe of which five were Boeing 747's and six Airbus A310s.
[11] The remaining fleet of similar aircraft will be reviewed in September and October timeframe, when full removal of the restriction will be considered. On August 10, 2007, PIA signed an agreement with
Aviation Lease and Finance Company (ALAFCO) to lease seven Airbus A320 to replace its Boeing 737-300 fleet. The deliveries are expected in 2009 and will be completed in the same year.
[12]
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.
[13] The high gasoline prices have increased yearly losses. In first six months of 2006, PIA has lost $100 million dollars (Rs. 6 billion). Another source of PIA's inefficiency has been the over-staffing of employees over the past 10-20 years that have crippled the organisations finances because of too many salaries with little or no work being done by such a large number of extra employees. Another major reason for being the basis of loss in PIA is that the higher officials of PIA tend to go abroad with their families on the expense of PIA.
[14] Back door discussions with potential buyers continue without any positive result.
Following the global trend, 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 independant companies or units thus making the airline more efficient, leaner and more attractive for potential buyers.
Destinations
Codeshare
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:
★
Aerosvit Airlines - Karachi/Dubai/Kiev
★
China Southern Airlines - Islamabad/Urumqi/Beijing
★
Thai Airways International - Karachi/Lahore/Islamabad/Bangkok.
★
Turkish Airlines - Karachi/Islamabad/Istanbul
Frequent flyer Program
PIA Award+ Plus is the
frequent flyer programme of Pakistan International Airlines. The program allows passengers to get free tickets, excess baggage vouchers, cabin upgrades, and a variety of exciting rewards and special deals. Awards +Plus offers three tiers of membership to frequent flyers that include Emerald, Sapphire and Diamond. The deal is the more often you fly PIA, the more A+ Miles you will accumulate, bringing you a step closer to the next tier of membership. You can also earn and redeem A+ miles not just by flying PIA, but also by using the products and services of PIA's partners.
Fleet
Pakistan International Airlines fleet includes the following aircraft (as of August
2007):
[15][16][17]
'Passenger Fleet'| Type | Total | Passenger (Business/Economy+/Economy) | Routes | Notes |
|---|
| Airbus A310-300 | 12 | 184 | Short, Long and Medium Haul routes ''Europe, Far East, Gulf, South Asia + 11 Domestic'' | 6 leased from Airbus Industrie |
| Airbus A320-200 | 7 orders | | | To be leased from ALAFCO First delivery due in 2009 |
| ATR 42-500 | 7 | 48 (Economy+/Economy) | Short Haul routes '' Gulf + 20 Domestic'' | |
| Boeing 737-300 | 7 | 118 (Economy+/Economy) | Short and Medium Haul routes ''Afghanistan, Gulf, India + 12 Domestic'' | Phased out from 2009 To be replaced with A320 |
| Boeing 747-200 Combi | 2 | 298 | Long, Medium and Short Haul routes ''India, UK + 3 Domestic'' | |
| Boeing 747-300 | 6 | 433 | Long, Medium and Short Haul routes ''India, Saudi Arabia, UK + 3 Domestic'' | |
| Boeing 777-200ER | 4 | 329 | Long Haul routes ''Europe, USA + 3 Domestic'' | 1 leased from ILFC |
| Boeing 777-200LR | 2 | 310 | Ultra Long Haul routes ''Canada + 3 Domestic'' | |
| Boeing 777-300ER | 2
| 393 | Long Haul routes ''Europe, USA + 3 Domestic'' | 1 more on order delivery due in 2008 |
| 'Total' | 42 | Updated August 2007 | |
Speculation
As PIA fleet is growing old and with no orders during the 1990s, there is a great deal of pressure on the airline to replace its Boeing 747 and Airbus A310 fleet with more modern and high tech aircraft. According to relevant sources, PIA is planning to order two more Boeing 777-200LR, 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. This plan is to make PIA's long haul fleet to one type and replace the boeing 747 with Boeing 777. 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.
For PIA short haul fleet, there are to buy three ATR 72 which may be delivered after the seven ATR 42-500 in 2007. Also, PIA earns a majority of profits from its cargo division and hence PIA is also planning to buy three A310-300F for cargo operations to replace the Boeing 747-200 Combis.
Cargo operations
Pakistan International Airlines Cargo was started in 1974 using two
Boeing 707-320C to its cargo division with services to the
Middle East and
Europe, however, the operations ended in late 1990s when both aircraft were grounded. PIA Cargo transports a range of goods across Pakistan as well as to international destinations. These include from edibles such as meat and vegetables, to textiles, paper products, laboratory equipment, and even un-cremated human remains. Currently Turkey's
MNG Airlines fly cargo services for PIA under an agreement using
A300F freighters to
London Luton Airport and
Cologne via Istanbul.
On the domestic front, PIA has also been operating an extensive 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. It was only until 2003, PIA decided to launch a full courier service and introducing "PIA Speedex". The services was started in the three cities; Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad expanding over the year into twelve cities. Today, the airline offers over seventy locations within Pakistan with shipments collected and delivered to and from customer homes.
Financial performance
During the first quarter of 2007, the airline achieved a 5% growth in overall revenue mainly supported by 7.6% increase in passenger revenue which was partially lowered by a 10% reduction in cargo revenue. The revenue growth was reduced due to the EU ban from early March which meant only the Boeing 777 were able to operate into Europe. This caused many of the European services to be put on hold until the aircraft that were considered to be inefficient to be brought up to EU standards so they can continue flying. Even with the fuel cost remaining at the 2006 level due to stable oil prices in the first quarter 2007, the operating and financing cost increased in proportion. The impact of 2006 salary hike, increased cost of leased aircraft and higher maintenance cost of PIA fleet increased the overall operating expenses by 19%. Consequently, the airline suffered an operating loss of Rs 2.5 billion in the first quarter.
Marketing
★ 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
Pakistani team for the
A1 Grand Prix.
★ PIA also promotes the Shandur Polo Gala, that takes place every year in the Chitral and Gilgit regions of northern Pakistan during the summer period.
[18]
★ PIA is one of the official sponsers of the "Destination Pakistan 2007" festivals.
[19]
★ PIA also has its own Boy Scouts Association (PIA-BSA) working in partnership with
Pakistan Boy Scouts Association. After the
earthquake, PIA-BSA was working in partnership with other chairty organisations to provide relief help to the people that were affected.
★ PIA Planetariums located in Karachi and Lahore are owned by PIA, which offer the public to see static aircraft as well as astronomical phenomena.
★ PIA
Horticulture, set up 1996 provides seasonal flowers for display in PIA's offices and for a range of events, winning several awards and accolades at flower exhibitions across the country.
★ PIA also supports non-profit organisations within Pakistan such as; Al-Shifa Trust,
Zindagi Trust,
The Citizens Foundation and Sind Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT).
[20]
Livery
In December 2003 PIA introduced a
new image this was also applied to their first 777-200ER
[21] 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 on it. PIA lettering was enlarged and moved to the fuselage. In early 2006 they unveiled
four designs representing the four provinces of Pakistan to be applied on the tails throughout their fleet, these will replace the present flag.
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
PIA have always catered the Presidents and Prime Ministers official overseas visits throughout Pakistan's history. During the late 1990s, Prime Minister Sharif's govternment bought a
Boeing 737-300[22] for official use. Initially it wore a government colour scheme, and eventually a partial PIA 1990s livery was adopted as the aircraft was given to PIA for commercial use while it was not on official duty.
However, 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[23] to the Pakistani government, this has ended the need of using PIA planes.
Achievements and Recognitions
★ 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 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.
★ First airline in the south east region to offer seat reservations through mobile communications.
★ First airline in Pakistan to operate a flight with an all female crew at command and serving in the cabin.
Incidents and accidents

PIA's 1990s Logo
★
Flight PK705 (
Cairo, May 20, 1965)
★
Flight PK740 (
Jeddah, November 26, 1979)
★
Flight PK268 (
Kathmandu, September 28, 1992)
★ (
Turbat, May 25, 1998) Failed
hijack attempt.
★
Flight PK688 (
Multan, July 10, 2006)
References
1. Directory: World Airlines
2. PIA-Offical Airline to the Destination Pakistan
3. The Evolution of The Pakistan Army By Brig. (Ret.) Noor A. Husain
4. Aircraft Losses In Pakistan -1971 War (PAF, Army Aviation, and Civilian aircraft Casualties) - by P V S Jagan Mohan
5. E.U. to ban PIA
6. EU banes Pakistan airline flights - BBC News - Obtained March 5, 2007.
7. Flight International 27 March 2007
8. PIA chairman steps down - Jang Newspapers
9. Zaffar Khan new CEO of Pakistan International Airlines - Jang Newspapers
10. EU ban on PIA airbuses may last till November
11. European Commission - Transport, July 2007
12. PIA to get seven new Airbus A320-200 - Associated Press of Pakistan
13. Pakistan International Airlines Annual Reports, 2005 Brecorder Financial Newspaper,
14. PIA suffers over Rs 6 billion loss
15. PIA website November 2006
16. http://www.ch-aviation.ch/aircraft.php
17. http://www.historyofpia.com/fleet.htm
18. Enjoy the spectacular shandur Polo Gala 2007-07-07
19. PIA: Make Pakistan Your Next Destination, 2007
20. Corporate Social Responsibility within PIA
21. Pre-delivery colours on the Boeing 777-200/ER at Everett
22. "AP-BEH" PIA B737 in Government Colours
23. Airliners.net: Pakistan Air Force A310-304
Additional References
★
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
★
Aviation Safety Database: Pakistan International Airlines
See also
External links
; Official
★
Official site
★
Cargo Tracking
★
Training Center
; Unofficial
★
Global PIA
★
History of PIA
★
Photographs
★
Inflight Meals
; Fleet Details
★
AirFleet.net
★
PlaneSpotters.net
; Other
★
Pakistan International Airlines at the
Aviation Safety Network Database