Karachi Loses European Flights

Amaad Lone · Post by **Amaad Lone** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 10:49 am

PIA has effectively ended a number of european flights from Karachi.

Paris, Rome, Copenhagen and Oslo are all only being operated from either Islamabad or Lahore. Maybe Milan and Athens should have been operated on similar lines.

On the other hand the capacity to Frankfurt has really jumped, with three 777s orginating from Karachi, two being via Islamabad and one via Lahore.

Is PIA offering Karachi passengers connections to these cities via Frankfurt on Lufthansa?

Why else the massive jump in capacity for Frankfurt.

pkjet · Post by **pkjet** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 11:15 am

and to think that KHI was a major stopover point for european airlines at one time.............................

smarties · Post by **smarties** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 11:27 am

Its hard for PIA as they have 3 major hubs and all their international destinations cannot be served effectively to all 3 cities in Pakistan as a result. Even a huge airline like BA has one hub which is heathrow, imagine how hard it is for PIA with 3 hubs and such a limited fleet?! I don't know any other airlines which has 3 major hubs, maybe they are a couple but i can't think of any right now.

PIA need to concentrate on the 3 major cities of europe and should up their freqs. to CDG, LHR and FRA.

behramjee · Post by **behramjee** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 3:56 pm

PIA has made here a very smart business move by getting rid of KHI flights on many of its EU sectors.

The reasons being as mentioned above in the previous post that out of KHI there is too much over capacity offered out of KHI to these EU cities via an Arab airlines hub i.e. EK-TK-QR-EY-GF. With their greater frequencies compared to PIAs pathetic once-twice weekly flights which fly via LHE/ISB and some other city enroute it was expected that they would lose business to the Arab airlines.

The vast majority of the Pakistani expats-immigrants in OSL-CPH-CDG etc hail from the LHE/ISB area and not KHI. By having dedicated nonstop flights from LHE/ISB to these places, PIA offers the most convenient product for their main target market + it cuts out the much hated big time loss making ISB/LHE-KHI domestic sector out of its international routes which do not permit domestic traffic to be carried.

There is a reason why OSL and CPH see nonstop B 743s / A 310s from LHE and ISB only and not KHI!!!

smarties · Post by **smarties** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 4:09 pm

PIA has effectively ended a number of european flights from Karachi.

Paris, Rome, Copenhagen and Oslo are all only being operated from either Islamabad or Lahore. Maybe Milan and Athens should have been operated on similar lines.

What i find strange is that PIA don't fly KHI to ROM and CDG. But they have flights from CDG and ROM to KHI twice a week?

As both these flights stop in LHE/ISB then to KHI, they should have a dometic flight as these flights have no traffic rights b/w ISB/LHE-KHI.

Jacobin777 · Post by **Jacobin777** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 5:59 pm

smarties wrote:Its hard for PIA as they have 3 major hubs and all their international destinations cannot be served effectively to all 3 cities in Pakistan as a result. Even a huge airline like BA has one hub which is heathrow, imagine how hard it is for PIA with 3 hubs and such a limited fleet?! I don't know any other airlines which has 3 major hubs, maybe they are a couple but i can't think of any right now.

PIA need to concentrate on the 3 major cities of europe and should up their freqs. to CDG, LHR and FRA.

a few United States Carriers have them...such as AA with ORD/DFW/LAX/MIA and UA has it with ORD/SFO/IAD.......but you are correct, not too many carriers in the world have three large hubs...

Jacobin777 · Post by **Jacobin777** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 6:02 pm

behramjee wrote:PIA has made here a very smart business move by getting rid of KHI flights on many of its EU sectors.

The reasons being as mentioned above in the previous post that out of KHI there is too much over capacity offered out of KHI to these EU cities via an Arab airlines hub i.e. EK-TK-QR-EY-GF. With their greater frequencies compared to PIAs pathetic once-twice weekly flights which fly via LHE/ISB and some other city enroute it was expected that they would lose business to the Arab airlines.

The vast majority of the Pakistani expats-immigrants in OSL-CPH-CDG etc hail from the LHE/ISB area and not KHI. By having dedicated nonstop flights from LHE/ISB to these places, PIA offers the most convenient product for their main target market + it cuts out the much hated big time loss making ISB/LHE-KHI domestic sector out of its international routes which do not permit domestic traffic to be carried.

There is a reason why OSL and CPH see nonstop B 743s / A 310s from LHE and ISB only and not KHI!!!

I agree that PK is smart to get out of those routes, if PK reintroduces those routes daily with a smaller plane, they would do fine...

daily service+competitive fares+decent plane=advantage PK because of nonstop service..

it will take PK time, but concentrating on 1-2 hubs is the way to go...

behramjee · Post by **behramjee** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 8:06 pm

if PK reintroduces those routes daily with a smaller plane, they would do fine...

PIA doesnt have the market demand to warrant it flying even a daily A 310 to any mainland European destination. Mind you I said European and not UK!

This is because PIAs market strategy unfortunately targets only O&D pax and not 6th freedom pax which warrant airlines such as EK-QR-GF having daily sometimes multiple daily flights to many EU cities.

sadiqhassan · Post by **sadiqhassan** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 8:48 pm

I also think not flying from Karachi is a smart move, because PIA simply cannot compete from there. I believe it was the Pakistani government who restricted carriers coming into ISB/LHE/PEW - which was a smart move. If EK got their hands on daily ISB/LHE/PEW flights, PIA would be in trouble.

Cheers