TAXILA: The PTI-led government has pledged to increase the number of aircraft in the national airline's fleet in 14-2023, it was announced Monday.
"We have developed a business plan for PIA, approved by the prime minister, under which we are going to increase the PIA fleet from the current 31 to 45 aircraft," Federal Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan told the media. Ammar Sadeeq Khan, a member of the Punjab Assembly, was also present.
The plane will be purchased instead of being obtained in dry or wet leases, the minister said. A dry lease contract is a long-term agreement under which an unmanned aircraft, maintenance and insurance is provided to an airline through monthly or annual payment. A wet lease agreement is a short-term agreement under which a company provides an aircraft along with a crew, maintenance and insurance and the payment made is calculated on the hours operated.
Sarwar says that instead of taking planes in dry or wet leases, they will be bought
Sarwar said that PIA is currently operating 31 aircraft on national and international routes and that its fleet will increase in phases to 45 aircraft.
He said that under this upgrade strategy, two Airbuses will be added to PIA this year, while four planes, including two ATRs that landed for technical reasons, would be put into operation.
“These plans were implemented by the PIA using its own resources. No government subsidy was taken, ”said the minister.
He said that due to good governance and sound decisions, PIA revenues increased by 45 percent.
On the recently completed Haj and its flights, he said that the Haj flight operation was successfully completed by the national aircraft carrier with its own fleet.
Posted on Dawn, September 17, 2019
Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1505640/14-more-aircraft-being-added-to-pia-fleet-minister