RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: the Pakistan International Airlines Premier completes first two months of service with more than 100 flight operations with over 90 per cent punctuality, said General Manager Public Relations Danyal Gilani.

He said the PIA Premier has played a role in helping Pakistan connect with the rest of the world.

The PIA had launched its new business class product “PIA Premier” in August, on the first of three 297-seat Airbus

A330-300 aircraft wet-leased from Sri Lankan Airlines. The jet operates six-times-weekly services from Islamabad and Lahore to London.

“We simply needed a new business class product. The last one was 10 years old, and people were not fond of it,” he said, adding that load factors for “PIA Premier” now averages at 85 per cent.

The PIA operates a fleet of 37 aircraft, comprising 11 777s (six -200ERs, three -300ERs and two -200LRs), one A330-300, 10 A320-200s, four A310-300s, six ATR 42-500s and five ATR 72-500s. The airline is currently operating at 99 percent regularity with on-time performance at 85 percent

Besides working on expanding its fleet, the PIA also wants to grow its international network by “recovering lost markets”.

The state-controlled carrier currently serves an extensive domestic network from its primary hub at Karachi and secondary hubs at Islamabad and Lahore.