The airline is aiming to expand the fleet to 25 aircraft in coming months, making it the largest ever private carrier in the country. PHOTO: FILE
SAI Chairman Kashif Sehbai (34) and his younger brother Ehsan Khalid Sehbai (31) as CEO announced they will continue to pursue the expansion policy of their father.
“Shaheen has no other intention but to grow,” said Kashif, speaking at a welcoming ceremony organised by Bukhari Group Chairman Rafiq Khan Bukhari. “We have relocated here (from Canada) to try and consolidate the business.”
Since Khalid M Sehbai bought a majority stake in the private carrier, which was once run by the air force, it has seen many ups and downs, even coming close to suspending operations.
Following his death in July, the market was ripe with rumours that his family will sell the stake to new investors, possibly to the Tabbani Group which used to own Aero Asia.
However, in the last few years the airline has emerged as the fastest growing in the country with a fleet of 18 aircraft and threatens to take more market share from the crisis-hit Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
For the first time since starting operations in 1993, Shaheen crossed the million-customer mark in fiscal year 2012-13 as it carried 1.061 million passengers between Pakistani cities and foreign destinations, according to Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data.
It saw phenomenal growth in its share. Compared to 2011-12, Shaheen transported 43.8% more international travellers in 2012-13 whereas there was only a marginal increase of 3% in the overall number of passengers travelling abroad. In 2007-08, Shaheen carried just 280,615 passengers on international routes.
Altogether, the international traffic from Pakistan was 9.5 million in 2012-13 against 9.2 million a year before.
“We are well versed with the airline’s affairs. We were never blind to what was happening in the airline,” assured Kashif.
The airline is aiming to expand the fleet to 25 aircraft in coming months, making it the largest ever private carrier in the country and just few aircraft short of PIA.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 13th, 2013.
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COMMENTS (8)
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only think stoping sheen is there techniqal know how of air crew if u guys want to expand in safest possible manner then its about time u get highlly experienced crew from PIA there r guys in PIA flying atrs and 737 with more than 13000 flying hours and have done USA canada and europe flts of more than 7 years experience but if u think u gujys can do it with ur existing crew sorry ur sadly mistaken it would take u years before u they come upto any level in fact it would be no use buying high tech machines and putting upstarts there who have not even crossed jeddah fir let alone europe canada and USA !!
I wish the Wright (Sehbai) brothers good luck...!!!!!
Best of luck to both Kashif & Ehsan. I hope and pray that this private airline from Pakistan flourishes in the days to come. Because all we need is to have good competition amongst the carriers & especially the way GCC airlines have virtually established monoply & have formed a cartel amongst themselves in fleecing Pakistanis & have made double standards in providing services to Western origin nationals vis-a vis Pakistanis.
PIA & Air Blue should also come up with concrete expansion plans so that our lost market share is taken away from these so called brotherly Islamic carriers (More western than the West) & fares are stablised in general.
Best of luck again.
@MK.. Spot on.. Simple common sense fact.. Loved it..
Good luck. Hope the younger generation with greater energy and innovation will bring along pleasant successful professional changes
Best of luck to both brothers; Kashif ans Ehsan. Coming from Canada, we hope you will think before you ink and remember the long, lost word, "merit." Salams
This is good news. Pakistan, with 180 million population, and a good number of them living in diaspora, is a very major market for the airline industry. From being a major regional hub served by most of the international airlines, from Aeroflot to World Airways, Karachi is now mostly shunned by international airlines, sans Middle Eastern airlines, thus creating a huge vacuum which can be easily filled by a forward-looking airline sensitive to its' customer's needs. I am sure many will join me in hoping Shaheen will rise to the occasion.
PIA, 31 aircraft, 18000 employees. Shaheen Air, 19 aircraft 1600 employees. you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out why PIA is in trouble.