PIA announces fare reduction for domestic, international flights
Airfares for KHI-ISL-KHI to start from Rs7,500, while return tickets for Umrah passengers will begin at Rs54,500
PHOTO: REUTERS
Pakistan International Airlines on Wednesday announced a reduction in its domestic and international fares in an attempt to stabilise the recent, unrealistic hike in fares.
"Airfares for Karachi-Islamabad-Karachi and Karachi-Lahore-Karachi will start from Rs7,500, while return tickets for Umrah passengers will begin at Rs54,500 for people living in Lahore and Islamabad, and Rs44,500 for all those traveling from Karachi," said a press release.
Airfares take off when PIA doesn’t
"The national carrier has taken the decision to reduce its fares, in order to facilitate its valued customers and stabilise the unrealistic rise in airfares caused by the recent strike," the statement added.
After protests by employees of Pakistan International Airlines reached a new level, airfares went higher, partly because of greater demand and partly because of other airlines’ sense of increasing profits.
“Private airlines increased their fares by more than 200% after February 1,” FPCCI Aviation Committee Chairman Yahya Polani told The Express Tribune. “Fares have come down drastically, but they are still about 100% more than the days when PIA was fully operational.”
Abbasi accused of making money in wake of PIA crisis
One-way tickets that were available in the range of Rs8,000-9,000 prior to February 1 are now in the range of Rs18,000-19,000. According to Polani, private airlines have reduced their fares from as high as Rs27,000 to Rs18,000-19,000 because of the CCP inquiry.
The CCP, which regulates anti-competitive behaviour in the country, on Thursday said that it has taken note of the substantial increase in airfares by private airlines following the disruption to PIA’s flight operations.
The PIA staff apparently gave in to intense public pressure on Tuesday and called off their strike after crippling nationwide flight operations for eight days. The Joint Action Committee of PIA Employees (JACPIAE), an umbrella of over half a dozen labour unions, started the strike last Tuesday in protest against the government plans to sell off the national flag carrier.
PIA takes off after staff ends strike
However, the government refused to budge, at least publicly, insisting it will go ahead with the planned privatisation of the cash-strapped airline. The government had also imposed a ban on all union activities at PIA and served show-cause notices to over 200 protesters under the Essential Services (Maintenance) Act, 1952.
Though the strike was called off, officials said it would take PIA a couple of weeks to sort out its disrupted flight schedule because of the backlog of passengers, who missed their flights and were stranded in various countries.
"Airfares for Karachi-Islamabad-Karachi and Karachi-Lahore-Karachi will start from Rs7,500, while return tickets for Umrah passengers will begin at Rs54,500 for people living in Lahore and Islamabad, and Rs44,500 for all those traveling from Karachi," said a press release.
Airfares take off when PIA doesn’t
"The national carrier has taken the decision to reduce its fares, in order to facilitate its valued customers and stabilise the unrealistic rise in airfares caused by the recent strike," the statement added.
After protests by employees of Pakistan International Airlines reached a new level, airfares went higher, partly because of greater demand and partly because of other airlines’ sense of increasing profits.
“Private airlines increased their fares by more than 200% after February 1,” FPCCI Aviation Committee Chairman Yahya Polani told The Express Tribune. “Fares have come down drastically, but they are still about 100% more than the days when PIA was fully operational.”
Abbasi accused of making money in wake of PIA crisis
One-way tickets that were available in the range of Rs8,000-9,000 prior to February 1 are now in the range of Rs18,000-19,000. According to Polani, private airlines have reduced their fares from as high as Rs27,000 to Rs18,000-19,000 because of the CCP inquiry.
The CCP, which regulates anti-competitive behaviour in the country, on Thursday said that it has taken note of the substantial increase in airfares by private airlines following the disruption to PIA’s flight operations.
The PIA staff apparently gave in to intense public pressure on Tuesday and called off their strike after crippling nationwide flight operations for eight days. The Joint Action Committee of PIA Employees (JACPIAE), an umbrella of over half a dozen labour unions, started the strike last Tuesday in protest against the government plans to sell off the national flag carrier.
PIA takes off after staff ends strike
However, the government refused to budge, at least publicly, insisting it will go ahead with the planned privatisation of the cash-strapped airline. The government had also imposed a ban on all union activities at PIA and served show-cause notices to over 200 protesters under the Essential Services (Maintenance) Act, 1952.
Though the strike was called off, officials said it would take PIA a couple of weeks to sort out its disrupted flight schedule because of the backlog of passengers, who missed their flights and were stranded in various countries.