Pakistan International Arlines (PIA) : News / Updates

[Olympus81]

Honestly, its not a bad deal if the Pakistani taxpayer can swallow the bitter pill and take up PIA’s debt obligation one last time.

And the potential buyer can take it from there.

But a private buyer would be too dumb to buy PIA from a clean balance sheet. There is too much baggage in terms of nepotism, operational losses, bans in EU skies, lack of aviation infrastructure within Pakistan, CAA redtape.

 

[Fatman17]

Gulfstream G280 registered in Pakistan as AP-NSH probably for Nishat Group of Pakistan.

Aircraft photographed at Dallas Love Field Airport, USA, on March 24, 2023.

 

[Fatman17]

Karachi Airport 1967

 

[Fatman17]

Super Conny

 

[Fatman17]

Fokker F-27s served admirably for over 40 years

 

[Fatman17]

Trident IIIE

 

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The short-lived DC-10-30S

 

[Fatman17]

 

[Fatman17]

Accidents in Nepal​

Nepal’s remote airfields, sudden weather changes and mountainous terrain make it one of the most challenging countries in which to operate. Consequently, aviation mishaps are not uncommon – it has recorded almost 50 incidents and accidents involving commercial aircraft since 1993, of which 28 involved loss of life.

Yeti Airlines flight YT691 is the country’s third most fatal accident to date. On September 28, 1992, Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A300B4-203 AP-BCP (c/n 025) struck a cloud-covered hillside while attempting to land at Kathmandu with the loss of all 167 passengers and crew. This came barely two months after 113 people were killed when Thai Airways International Airbus A310-304 HS-TID (c/n 438) similarly crashed into high ground near the capital after encountering navigational errors and communications difficulties. Most recently, in May 2022, all 22 occupants of Tara Air de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 9N-AET (c/n 619) suffered fatal injuries after the aircraft struck a mountain in bad weather while enroute from Pokhara to Jomsom.

MAIN IMAGE: TMLN123, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

 

[uhuru]

BOB O’BRIEN

The carrier’s ageing Douglas DC-3s were eventually retired in the early 1960s and replaced by a fleet of Fokker F-27 Friendships, which were operated on its expanding domestic network.
PAUL MOREU VIA AUTHOR

PIA sub-leased Boeing 707-338C freighter, G-BFLE (c/n 19293), from British Midland Airways between May 1978 and April 1979 to operate its Islamabad to Heathrow service.
BOB O’BRIEN

To boost its long-haul fleet, PIA acquired four Douglas DC-10-30s in 1973 with the first example arriving in March 1974. All four were later sold to Canadian carrier CP Air.
BOB O’BRIEN

When PIA ordered its first Boeing 747-200s it also signed a contract four Airbus A300 at a cost of $300m. The Airbus proved to be popular with both the airline and its passengers and so another seven were acquired, and two more were operated on lease.
BOB O’BRIEN

In 1985, five new Boeing 737-300s were introduced to the carrier’s fleet.

We used to go to Dar airport long back in 1979 when PIA started to come via 707-720

 

[ghazi52]

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Mil Mi-8 helicopter photographed in Abbottabad in 1995.

Islamabad-based PIA Mi-8 helicopter performed flights to & from Abbottabad, Bhurban, Peshawar and Sialkot.

PIA Mi-8 helicopter was also available for charter service to Chitral, Kalam, Naran and Shogran.

 

[ghazi52]

1967 F27

 

[ghazi52]

Formation flight of brand new de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 aircraft delivered to Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) in 1970.

 

[ghazi52]

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Douglas DC-3 at Chitral Airport in February 1962.

 

[ghazi52]

1964 photo of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Sikorsky S-61N helicopter at Dacca Airport in East Pakistan.

For short-haul operations in East Pakistan's delta region, based on Dacca, PIA set up a network of scheduled helicopter routes using three brand new amphibious twin-turbine Sikorsky S-61N helicopters.