KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has added one more Airbus A320 to its fleet, the national flag-carrier confirmed on Thursday, November 21.
The announcement was made through PIA’s official Twitter handle. A picture of the aircraft, grounded at the Karachi airport, was also attached to the tweet.
According to the reports, the airplane departed from Istanbul and reached Karachi at 7:00 AM, Thursday morning, November 21 .
An official told media that the airbus has been bought on a dry lease, leasing arrangement whereby an aircraft financing entity provides an aircraft without crew for a period of six years. He said that the plane will be added to the fleet in the first week of December after the completion of the technical requirements.
Following the addition of the aircraft, PIA now has 12 A320 planes. The total number of planes in the airline’s fleet now reached 33.
A similar-model airbus is scheduled to arrive in Pakistan next month. Both planes were previously employed by Saudi Arabian Airlines between 2010 and 2018.
“The addition of new these airplanes will facilitate airline’s operations,” said a PIA official, adding: “Travellers will also be provided with better services during flights.”
Bleeding massive cash until a year ago, PIA, in September this year, announced a 41 percent increment in its revenue, attributing it to “corrective measures” taken by the all-new management.
It was at that time the airline’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Air Marshal ArshadMahmood Malik had announced to induct two more aircraft to its fleet, adding that, as part of the business strategy, the flag-carrier will continue to extend its fleet for the next three years.
