New Airline in Pakistan Launched
More Private Airlines in the Works
PIA’s Flight Operations for Northern Areas
Update: (Oct 31, 2022):
New Helicopter Service Launched for AJK
President Arif Alvi was on a day-long visit to Azad Jammu and Kashmir where he inaugurated ‘Kashmir Air’ — a service based on commercial helicopter operations to facilitate travellers and boost tourism in northern areas. While addressing the crowd at the launching ceremony, the president praised the “immense natural beauty and tourism potential” of the AJK region.
Furthermore, the private company also has plans to expand its commercial helicopter flights to other tourist attractions in the up-country, according to the news report.
Update (March 11, 2022):
New Low-cost Carrier ‘Fly Jinnah’ Unveils Brand Identity
Fly Jinnah, which is a low-cost airline startup in Pakistan, has finally revealed its brand identity to the public as the company is nearing its launch date. The carrier is yet to acquire its air operator’s certificate from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA). In the initial phase, it will introduce domestic flight operations from its main base in Karachi.
Fly Jinnah is a joint venture between Pakistan’s Lakson Group and Air Arabia. According to the stakeholders of this new airline, the abbreviation “FJ” and its visual brand identity, which is focused on the red colour, reflect the young and modern spirit of the airline.
The northern areas of Pakistan are home to some of the world’s highest mountain ranges and lush green valleys. You can easily find a lot of travel guides and Vlogs on YouTube detailing these natural wonderlands of our country as they are frequented by both local and international tourists.
The government authorities are making all possible efforts to boost tourism in Pakistan. For instance, camping pods were recently introduced in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This initiative was aimed to facilitate the travellers by providing them with suitable and comfortable places to stay near the most visited natural tourist spots in the region.
Getting to these destinations was another major challenge in the past. It was because of the long tedious road trips. However, things have improved a lot in recent years and are expected to get even better in the near future. With the recent expansion of flight operations in the country, you can now enjoy direct flights from major cities like Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad to the northern areas of Pakistan.
Keeping in view the constantly increasing demand for air travel to the destinations up north, another new airline in Pakistan has recently been provided with an operational permit by the concerned authorities.
So, if you are also a travel enthusiast who loves exploring the natural beauty of our homeland, then read this post till the end to learn all about this newly launched private airline and how you can benefit from its services.
The Launch of the New Airline in Pakistan to Boost Tourism
A new private airline named ‘North Air’ has been provided with the TPRI (Tourism Promotion and Regional Integration) license by the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority). This new airline in Pakistan is reportedly planned to operate flights for a few major cities in the northern areas including Gilgit, Skardu, Chitral as well as the emerging port city of Gwadar in the south.
North Air will initially operate flights between the capital city of Islamabad and all of the aforementioned destinations. The airline will be headquartered at the New Islamabad International Airport.
Upcoming Private Airlines in Pakistan
There are three more private airlines that are due to be launched in Pakistan soon. The CAA is in the process of providing these airlines with their Regular Public Transport (RPT) after scrutinising their operation models. Q-Airlines, Fly Jinnah, and Jet Green are expected to start domestic flight operations in the near future.
The launch of these new airlines will take the number of private airlines operating in Pakistan to seven. As of now, Air North, SereneAir, Airblue, and AirSial are operating in the local private airline industry, mostly handling domestic flights as well as a few international flights.
According to the new CAA regulations, private airlines would only become eligible for international flights after completing one year successfully with at least a fleet of three aircraft.
PIA Launches Flight Operations for Northern Areas
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which is the country’s national flag carrier, has also recently commenced direct flight operations from Lahore to the northern areas of Pakistan. The PIA is using Airbus A-320 aircraft for the flight operation to Skardu. The fare of this flight starts from PKR 7,500 per person.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has also started flight operations between Karachi and Skardu. According to the PIA flight schedule, the airline is operating two flights per week for this route to facilitate tourists. Direct flights from Karachi to Skardu are expected to have a very significant impact on the local tourism industry.
The very famous Saidu Sharif airport in Swat has also been reopened after 17 years. On March 26, 2021, the airport welcomed its first flight in almost two decades.
The Saidu Sharif airport was not catering to any flights and was completely non-operational since 2004. It was because the national flag carrier abandoned all its commercial flight operations for the region up till the first quarter of 2021. Now that the airport in Swat has finally been reopened, PIA is planning to operate two flights: one from Lahore and one from Islamabad in a week to Swat.
The government has also introduced a TV channel for tourism. Named ‘Discover Pakistan’, the channel broadcasts travel guides and documentaries about the most famous tourist spots in the country. To learn more about the newly launched tourism channel in Pakistan, read our detailed blog post on it.
Have you recently taken any flights to the northern areas of the country? If yes, then share with us your experience at blog@zameen.com. We’d love to hear from you. In fact, with the help of your shared information, we make our pieces more informative and useful for our readers.
Since you are here reading about tourism in Pakistan, here are a few blogs that may interest you:
- History of Gilgit Baltistan
- Best Places in Northern Areas to Buy Summer Home
- What to Expect from Pakistan’s Tourism Sector?
- Historic Development Package for Gilgit Approved
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