PIA Hajj operations to start from May 31

Nearly 300 flights to fly to Jeddah, Madinah from Pakistan

ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is all set to launch Hajj operations from May 31, whereby 297 flights to Jeddah and Madinah will be operated from eight cities.

A meeting was held under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Aviation Khawaja Saad Rafique, wherein he was briefed by the national flag-carrier’s administration on important matters.

The federal minister was told that the state airline will begin Hajj operations from May 31 as per plan, and flights will be operated to Jeddah and Madinah from Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Multan, Peshawar and Quetta.

The national flag-carrier’s administration said that 297 flights would be operated from May 31 to August 31.

Rafique directed PIA to get one Boeing 777 and one Airbus 320 out of long-term storage.

The state airline’s administration said that four Airbus 320 aircraft are joining their fleet. One plane arrived in Pakistan last week and is being cleared by Pakistan Customs and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), while another plane will reach Pakistan by the end of this month.

The federal minister said that the addition of additional aircraft to the fleet would strengthen PIA’s operations and would be helpful in expanding its network.

The administration informed the federal minister that they were expanding PIA’s flight operations to Damascus, Syria, and Najaf, Iraq, for the convenience of pilgrims. They also said that they were also doubling flights to Baku, Azerbaijan for the convenience of tourists.

Apart from this, they further said, they were also increasing flights to Skardu, Gilgit and Chitral to promote tourism in the northern regions. They added that 18 weekly flights to Skardu, 24 weekly flights to Gilgit, two weekly flights to Chitral would be operated, and would be connected to Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and other cities.

Rafique directed PIA to operate additional flights to Damascus and Najaf on Ashura and Arbaeen. He also directed them to pay special attention to the cargo sector.

The federal minister said that PIA should renovate business class lounges at Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad airports.