Air Sial

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offspring
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Air Sial

Post by offspring »

SIALKOT, Feb 24: After completing a unique mega project of Sialkot International Airport Limited (SIAL) on a self-help basis, the business community has announced establishment of its own airline for providing cheaper and advanced travelling facilities on domestic and international routes.

This was said by SIAL chairman Babar Iqbal while talking to newsmen here on Sunday.

SIAL chief executive Azeem Zafar, outgoing CE Khawar Anwar Khwaja and general-manager Nawaz Ahmad Chaudhry were also present on the occasion.

Mr Iqbal said the airport management had also developed contacts with international aviation companies and aircraft manufacturers.

The SIAL chairman said initial paper work had been completed for the airline while total expenditure was also being estimated.

He said the airline would be set up under the joint supervision of SIAL and the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI).

http://www.dawn.com/2008/02/25/nat21.htm
Last edited by Abbas Ali on Sun Nov 29, 2020 1:24 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Topic title edited.
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Post by jvd003 »

wow.......... thatz wonderful news.............
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Abbas Ali
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Post by Abbas Ali »

Good news indeed!

Sialkot business community should also consider setting up a cargo airline. They can start it with a turbo-prop freighter or a narrow body jet freighter like Boeing 737. The freighter can be used for exporting products from Sialkot and neighbouring cities to other cities of Pakistan like Karachi and also for exports to regional cargo destinations like Dubai.

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Post by hasan saleem »

They should start a pax airline with a couple of turbo prop, maybe ATR-42's. Destinations could be Islamabad, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Peshawar, . Later phase expand the airline into a regional carrier. There is a need for an airline connecting cities in punjab, they could further look into expanding services into other nation wide cities, connecting smaller cities.
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Post by aslihan »

Looks like first private airline with a solid business case and business plan. Apparrently, plans look better than Air Blue and PIA, both.

Why wait for either one of them to start serving SIAL, go ahead and start your own airline with SIAL as its hub. Thats smart, real smart and will definitely work.

This also proves that only hub model can develop the aviation in and around the target region(s).
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Post by behramjee »

These Sialkot businessmen should not venture into starting a passenger airline because that need can be easily covered by PIA and Air Blue.

They should rather focus on their main strength and target a niche market segment ignored by PIA and Air Blue which is air cargo out of the Sialkot area because of their vast experience in the export/import business.

Keeping that in mind, they should get 2 B 737-300 freighters and use them on nonstop SKT-SHJ flights on a daily basis + SKT-KHI daily and SKT-DAC.

Starting an all cargo airline has more chances of making quick money than a passenger airline in Pakistan today especially of the type of market that these people from SKT are after.
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Post by aslihan »

behramjee wrote:These Sialkot businessmen should not venture into starting a passenger airline because that need can be easily covered by PIA and Air Blue.

They should rather focus on their main strength and target a niche market segment ignored by PIA and Air Blue which is air cargo out of the Sialkot area because of their vast experience in the export/import business.

Keeping that in mind, they should get 2 B 737-300 freighters and use them on nonstop SKT-SHJ flights on a daily basis + SKT-KHI daily and SKT-DAC.

Starting an all cargo airline has more chances of making quick money than a passenger airline in Pakistan today especially of the type of market that these people from SKT are after.
That is one view and I respect that. But we also know that this policy has not worked for any point in Pakistan except Karachi. The current Pakistani aviation mess is exactly the result of this defective public policy. Tons of Pakistani airlines have gone bankrupt due to it.

Sialkot needs a Mon-Fri flight to ISB in the early morning for business Visa applicants and return each evening. Will PIA, Shaheen or AirBlue ever do it ? So far this has not happened for any city except Lahore and Karachi.

Sialkot and rest of Pakistan except Karachi remains underserved by Pakistani airlines, left to the mercy of EKs, QRs, GF's to rot at DXB, AUH, DOH and the likes. There is no solution except the target cities to have their own airlines based at their own airports.
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Post by PK777 »

Sialkotis are clever, they have realised that the Govt is not going to improve the quality of living for the nation.. might as well stop complaining and do it yourslf. :wink:

I would not comment on how they are going to do this, but for Sialkot to be a future aviation hub for Pakistan. It would be a good idea to have a designated airline for the region. Lets hope they think outside the box and come up with a good airline name and not just Sialkoti Airways or Sialkot International Airlines.. :roll: :roll:
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Post by raza »

Why SKT-DAC? What kind of Cargo for Dhaka?
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Post by aslihan »

raza wrote:Why SKT-DAC? What kind of Cargo for Dhaka?
Sports and Surgical goods for sure plus transit cargo. They play more and better football than Pakistan.
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Post by Moin »

If you're talking about 733F's as cargo a/c, they could always consider buying a few of PIA's 733's and converting them to freighters, although they might have to end up waiting for quite a while till the A320's arrive for PIA.

However, looking at the track record of the type of a/c that have been used for cargo, I wouldn't be surprised if we end up seeing some obsolete and outdated Russian prop being inducted. These people may be tycoons with big ideas, but when it comes to the crunch, they're only going to look at what is airworthy and able to transfer the goods from A to B, nothing else.
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Re: Sialkot Tycoons To Set Up Airline

Post by Abbas Ali »

Sialkot Exporters To Have Own Airline

By Abid Mehdi

SIALKOT, Sept 2:
After establishing an international airport on self-help basis, the Sialkot business community has announced to launch its own airline for providing the cheaper travelling facility to Sialkot region’s traders on domestic and international routes.
Vice-chairman Sialkot International Airport Limited Malik Muhammad Ashraf disclosed this while talking to the media here on Wednesday.

He said that the paper work had been completed for the airline, while the total expenditures were being estimated.This airline would soon be established under the joint supervision of Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and SIAL and the name of the proposed airline was under consideration.

He said that the SIAL management had also developed necessary contacts with the international aviation companies and aircrafts manufacturing firms.

The Sialkot business community also planned to set up a food and vegetable processing/packing centre close to the airport to boost exports.

There are also plans to set up a composite-based sports goods development centre to cope with the growing demand of hi-tech equipment being used in sports goods manufacturing.

The construction of a Sialkot business and commerce centre was in progress adjacent to the SCCI building with an estimated cost of Rs140 million. The centre will display Sialkot-made export products under single roof and would serve to hold trade fairs.

The multi-storey building will house exhibition halls, facilitation rooms, and a separate avenue for women entrepreneurs.

Source: DAWN
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Re: Sialkot Tycoons To Set Up Airline

Post by behramjee »

For passenger flights, the ideal aircraft for the SKT market are the E170s and E190s. They can seat between 70-90 pax and can fly flights upto 4 hour 30 minutes long which means AUH/DXB/MCT/DOH/KWI/BAH can be covered from SKT which is the main target market.

E170s are best used for domestic flights and E 190s for international flights to the Middle East region only.

For cargo, its best to start with B 737Fs and then think big with B 763Fs.
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Post by aslihan »

behramjee wrote:These Sialkot businessmen should not venture into starting a passenger airline because that need can be easily covered by PIA and Air Blue.
Problem is that both don't. Air Blue model is to discounting PIA on profitable routes operated by PIA instead of starting its own routes. And PIA ..........it does not listen. Its 60+ years, how much more Sialkotis and others have to wait. Well done Sialkotis for showing the way to the nation and politicians (and Kashmiris for the Kashmir Airlines idea).

Instead of waiting PIA, Pakistan need to start provincial and regional airlines setup on same lines as the Bank of Punjab with same speed and spirit. "Lay Lo Qismat apnay haath mayN." CAA route allocation powers need to be devolved to provincial governments.
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Re: Sialkot Tycoons To Set Up Airline

Post by bernyjee »

Yes they waited for GOP, PIA and Airlblue to make some good moves after developing a model airport on a self help basis. Other than PIA, no body wanted to move an inch. Eithad has long term plans to establish a connection from Abu Dhabi as well.

This is a great move. Sialkot needs daily connections to ISB and KHI other than regular connections to ME and Europe for sure. Sialkot region yearly exports exceed one billion dollars and it tops in paying corporate taxes to CBR (Faislabad competes with Sialkot while LHE and KHI always lag behind). Some forum members correctly pointed out and recommended regional aircraft.

Sialkot's business people have great international contacts. I am sure they will come up with viable choices for aircraft and possible routes. This move will set another positive precedent in Pakistan.
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