Pakistan Startup Airline Air Sial Receives First Airbus A320

[MenInG]

On November 27th, Air Sial’s first of three Airbus A320-200s began a long delivery flight from Arizona to Pakistan. The aircraft took off from storage facilities at Phoenix Goodyear Airport and began the long journey to the operator’s home in Karachi, Pakistan. With the A320’s range limitations, the aircraft’s ferry flight has had to make stops at airports in New Hampshire, Northern Ireland, and Egypt.

Phoenix to Portsmouth. According to data from FlightRadar24.com, on November 27th, the Air Sial Airbus A320-200 departed Phoenix Goodyear Airport (GYR) at 12:29, en route to Karachi, Pakistan (KHI) as flight JTN275. The first of three segments took just over four hours and had the jet land at Portsmouth (PSM) airport in New Hampshire at 18:44.

Portsmouth to Belfast. After a little under two hours on the ground in Portsmouth, the aircraft then made its transatlantic flight over to Belfast International Airport (BFS) in Northern Ireland, departing at 20:15 and arriving the next day (November 28th) at 07:09 for a total flight time of just under six hours. The flight number for this segment was JTN278.

Belfast to Cairo. Spending most of the day in Belfast, the aircraft then departed for Cairo, Egypt, at 20:01, arriving at 03:04 the next day for a flight time of five hours and three minutes. The flight number for this segment was PF7786.

Cairo to Karachi. After two and a half hours on the ground in Cairo, the aircraft took off this morning for its final destination of Karachi at 05:40. Around the time of this article’s publication, the aircraft should be close to arriving at Karachi Jinnah International Airport. The flight number for this segment was also PF7786.

All times listed above are local.

https://simpleflying.com/air-sial-first-airbus-a320/

 

[MenInG]

The plane landed in Karachi on Sunday afternoon from the US. The airline will start operations with three planes.

With the arrival of these planes, AirSial will finally be able to start operations. The airline’s management hopes to operate its first flight ahead of the new year.

AirSial will start with flights between Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Sialkot and Peshawar before expanding operations.

The airline is a project of members of the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It was conceived in 2015 after Sialkot’s business community constructed the city’s airport on its own. That makes it the country’s first and only privately owned airport.

 

[MenInG]

Strange - at a time when the aviation industry is in crisis - a new airline created!?

 

[gani999]

Strange - at a time when the aviation industry is in crisis - a new airline created!?

This may be a good time to start an airline. Aircraft lease and insurance charges are at an all time low due to mass parkings by various airlines. I'm assuming AirSial is a low cost airline? If so they should be able to fill up seats. As long as they keep their other overheads under check, they can at least expect to break even/ operate with a sustainable loss while building up their brand. Once they get established in the market, they will be in a position to consolidate and expand once the corona crisis is over.

 

[last_knight]

[MENTION=145503]Mueez[/MENTION]
AirSial landing at Sialkot Airport

 

[Mueez]

[MENTION=145503]Mueez[/MENTION]
AirSial landing at Sialkot Airport

Sorry sir for the late reply, was very busy so couldn’t check PP!

This is great news, indeed! Looking forward to see if the Sialkotis are capable enough to carry AirSial and make it better than PIA.

InshAllah they will do well.

 

[MenInG]

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday inaugurated Air Sial, the third private airline of Pakistan, which was introduced and will be operated by Sialkot’s business community.

Accompanied by federal ministers Hammad Azhar, Ghulam Sarwar, Adviser Razzak Dawood, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Usman Dar, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar and Special Assistant to Punjab CM Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, the prime minister cut the ribbon to launch the airline which will initially operate domestically.

Speaking to the business community after the inauguration ceremony, the prime minister said that the airline was an "excellent initiative" which will create much-needed competition for the Pakistan International Airlines. Furthermore, it will benefit the business community in Sialkot, which the premier believed was on its way to becoming "Pakistan's centre of exports".

"When you told me of this [project], I had no doubt that it would benefit Pakistan in every way," PM Imran said.

Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks to Sialkot's business community. — DawnNewsTV
He congratulated the Sialkot community for building an airport with funds collected from the city alone and expressed hope that the businessmen will run the airline efficiently.

He noted that Pakistan's economy, like the rest of the world, had suffered due to the coronavirus pandemic and said that even though there was pressure to impose a blanket lockdown, the government managed to protect people's livelihoods and lives.

"This was a very difficult task as there was constant criticism directed at me for not imposing a blanket lockdown. It is sad that the same opposition that criticised me for not imposing a blanket lockdown [...] is now holding public meetings and gatherings even though corona cases are rising," the prime minister said.

He said that if the country gets through the second wave safely, it would be able to protect its people and businesses. The premier commended Minister for Industries Azhar and special adviser Dawood for keeping in touch with the business community and keeping the government informed of the challenges being faced by businessmen.

With its current fleet of three Airbus A320-200s, Air Sial will operate flights to and from Sialkot, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar.

Air Sial, a licensed airline, is the brainchild of members of the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry who launched the project after the success of their earlier initiative, the Sialkot International Airport Ltd.

Air Sial’s vice chairman Fazal Jilani had earlier told Dawn by telephone that soon after its inauguration by the prime minister, the airline would start selling its tickets.

The privately owned airline was granted permission to run its operations by the Aviation Division in 2017. It also plans to launch flights to foreign destinations.

During the visit, the prime minister will interact with the business community besides launching various development projects worth Rs 17 billion under Punjab Intermediate Cities Investment Programme.

He will break ground for the city’s sewage system and water supply scheme which will cost Rs9.5bn, inaugurate recreational parks for the general public costing Rs300 million, and provision of latest machinery for solid waste machinery for Rs600m.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1594857/pm-imran-inaugurates-air-sial-during-day-long-visit-to-sialkot

 

[Angrez Pakistani]

Just saw a review of air sial on YouTube and it’s not very good. Apparently they have got hand washing soap in their toilet, which means a lot of people will be washing their hands with the same soap. Which is disgusting on its own but can be fatal in the age of COVID. Plus they aren’t very liberal on hand sanitizers. The interior is fairly bland. They don’t have an app, as far as I know. And they don’t have a loyalty program for their customers.

 

[Angrez Pakistani]

https://youtu.be/T_UcXL8x7qM

 

[Slog]

Pakistan shouldn’t allow new airlines

I just don’t trust the short cut seeking, jugaaru culture we have.

And it’s fine to be penny pinching in most other industries but in airlines etc it’s fatal.

 

[shaz619]

Pakistan shouldn’t allow new airlines

I just don’t trust the short cut seeking, jugaaru culture we have.

And it’s fine to be penny pinching in most other industries but in airlines etc it’s fatal.

They shouldn’t stop them I think but the country defo needs reform in their Civil Aviation Authority and take a harder technical stance with these lanju panju operators, but if the reform is strong when these airlines enter service you would have at least the severe safety concerns are being mitigated

 

[Bigboii]

Pakistan shouldn’t allow new airlines

I just don’t trust the short cut seeking, jugaaru culture we have.

And it’s fine to be penny pinching in most other industries but in airlines etc it’s fatal.

Spirit airlines says hi!

(But I know the regulations would stop tham from doing things that may endanger the passengers,)

 

[Gharib Aadmi]

Pakistan shouldn’t allow new airlines

I just don’t trust the short cut seeking, jugaaru culture we have.

And it’s fine to be penny pinching in most other industries but in airlines etc it’s fatal.

Who would you trust more for domestic travel, PIA or a private airline?

I agree the regulators in Pakistan are worthless, but at least a private airline would be concerned about negative impact on their business due to a crash, and therefore would take care of their planes.

 

[Slog]

Who would you trust more for domestic travel, PIA or a private airline?

I agree the regulators in Pakistan are worthless, but at least a private airline would be concerned about negative impact on their business due to a crash, and therefore would take care of their planes.

Neither but gun to my head PIA.

The private airlines are very penny pinching and often hire under qualified staff. Almost all of them unfortunately have had major incidents. PIA and the private have similar number of issues but PIA is operating several times more flights

 

[Gharib Aadmi]

Neither but gun to my head PIA.

The private airlines are very penny pinching and often hire under qualified staff. Almost all of them unfortunately have had major incidents. PIA and the private have similar number of issues but PIA is operating several times more flights

I would go Air Blue or Serene Air, but I just checked airline safety ratings
and Both Air Blue and PIA got 1 out 7 stars for safety per Airline Ratings

https://www.airlineratings.com/safety-rating-tool/

So it seems neither of them are that safe.

Serene Air is new, so i guess its not saying much that they have had no accidents.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Cabinet allows AirSial to start some international operations

The federal cabinet has allowed AirSial to start flight operations in China, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Kuwait.

On Tuesday, the meeting of the federal cabinet presided over by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved AirSial to start flight operations on the recommendation of the Ministry of Aviation, under National Aviation Policy 2023 and Air Services Agreement.

Talking to the participants of the meeting, the premier stated that the arrival of the Saudi investor delegation to Pakistan is a very important development regarding the economic relations between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. He appreciated the performance of federal ministers, officers and staff to make this visit a success.

The federal cabinet, on the recommendation of the Ministry of Commerce, approved the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) regarding the establishment of a joint trade committee between Pakistan and Colombia.

The meeting also approved the transfer of the Directorate General of Special Education from the Federal Ministry of Human Rights to the Ministry of Federal Education and Technical Training, on the recommendation of the Ministry of Federal Education and Technical Training.

The federal cabinet also granted approval to the decisions taken by the Cabinet Committee on Chinese Investment Projects in its meeting held on 30 April 2024.

SOURCE: https://www.brecorder.com/news/4030...irsial-to-start-some-international-operations