PIA aims to capture slots left by Emirates

National flag carrier’s spokesperson says it is adopting new strategies

KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is planning to capitalise on the slots that will be left by Emirates due to the upcoming maintenance work at the Dubai airport.

Recent news stories suggested that Emirates was going to cut some flights to Pakistan.

“PIA is considering availing of this opportunity (the slots left by Emirates),” said PIA spokesperson Mashhood Tajwar.

He said PIA had already started revamping itself rigorously by undertaking new strategies like redesigning routes like Sialkot-Sharjah and Lahore-Muscat, adopting new software or chartering new aircraft.

PIA had improved flight time and seat factor and had planned to acquire four new aircraft on wet lease, with cockpit crew, in the next three months, he said, adding PIA was planning to get maximum advantage of the upcoming Hajj season.



However, Emirates spokesperson, while denying the news, said, “Operations to Pakistan will continue as normal and maintains its schedule as published without change.”

Nevertheless, the spokesperson said, Emirates could confirm that a number of scheduled flights between Pakistan and Dubai would be affected by the closure of Dubai International Airport’s southern runway for maintenance work between April 16 and May 30, 2019.

During this period, Emirates will continue to serve customers at all their Pakistani gateways - Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar and Sialkot - albeit with reduced frequencies, he added.

Middle eastern airlines - Qatar, Emirates, Flydubai, Etihad Airways etc - have given a tough time to airlines all over the world, including Pakistani airlines. Shaheen Air is a very recent example, which succumbed to tough competition in the Pakistani aviation industry.



“PIA is fighting back to the tough conditions of market and in the last two months we have improved our seat factor a lot,” the spokesperson said.

Emirates’ traffic is also shifting to its code-sharing Flydubai, a budget airline as Pakistan’s traffic to Dubai is mostly based on Pakistanis who travel for work purpose, rather than tourism, so they choose cheap ticket which is almost Rs10,000 cheaper, said Hanif Rinch, who holds representation in International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Agency Programme Joint Council (APJC) of Pakistan as a delegate.

Nonetheless, Emirates’ short-term cut in flights to Pakistan may be good for local airlines, but the lack of competition may not be good for customers, as Karachi to Islamabad ticket has already surged to Rs26,000, which was earlier available on just Rs10,000 when Shaheen Air was operational.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 19^th, 2019.

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