Aero Asia to induct more aircraft

[Abbas Ali]

KARACHI: Just days after Airblue announced the launch of a long-haul flight to Manchester from May, Aero Asia, another Pakistani private airline, also made public its plan to operate flights between Islamabad and the UK city in the next three to four months.

But Aero Asia that has had a turbulent past has come out with a new idea to capture the lucrative route, once the exclusive domain of Pakistan’s national flag carrier.

“Actually, this route should be called Mirpur to Manchester as we will be focusing on a large number of ‘Mirpuris’ who frequently visit England,” Managing Director Aero Asia, Haider Jalal said on Wednesday night, referring to the hilly district of Azad Kashmir.

In the last couple of decades, tens of thousands of Mirpuris have settled abroad, notably in England and it is believed that facilitation of these natives, who frequently visit relatives, will give the airline an upper hand over others.

Aero Asia, now owned by the UK-based Regal Group, has decided to arrange a special transportation service to bring passengers from Mirpur to Islamabad, Jalal said while addressing a gathering of travel agents here at a local hotel.

Recalling how Aero Asia was grounded in May 2006 and ‘salvaged’ by the new group a month later, he mentioned a number of steps, ranging from the induction of new planes to increasing international destinations, envisaged for the revival of the country’s first private airline.

He said frequency of flights to existing domestic destinations and Dubai would be increased, besides new flight schedule for Sukkur, Multan, Pasni and Gwadar was also in the pipeline. “There are also plans for a shuttle service between Lahore and Islamabad,” he added.

On a more ambitious side, the airline is eyeing to target Pakistanis in Copenhagen, Oslo and Barcelona as well as looking to start freight flights to Belgium and Austria from Lahore for which a Douglas DC-8 freighter plane with 48 tons’ capacity is being leased.

Jalal said a Boeing 737-300 would be inducted next week, which would be the fourth addition to the existing fleet of three aircraft. “The airline will also add one more plane that is either going to be a Boeing 767, Airbus A310 or Airbus A321,” he added.

Chairman Zahoor Ahmed, in his brief remarks, said in the next few months the seeds of transformation would start to bear fruit.

Source: The News

On the Net: Aero Asia

[Adnan Anwar]

This airline should rename itself Antique Airways. They will now be operating DC-8, old 737-300's. If they want to change their old image, they should have gone for planes that are atleast newer generation but used is ok.

[CoyBoy]

According to their website schedules they are only operating KHI, LHE, ISB at home and DXB in the Gulf, services to all others stations i.e MUX, LYP, SUK, PEW, AUH, AIN, MCT, DOH are suspended, their fleet consists only of DC9 and MD82.

[PK777]

What is it with these private carriers?! After fourteen years in service they can barely run afew antique aircraft such as DC/MDs is beyond me... just across the border so many airlines have sprouted up, so much investment in the aviation market obv. there is a huge difference in supply/demand trends but all the airlines of Pakistan deserve to be grounded - they have no future goals... Wbas gasay chal raha hain chal ney raney do" attitude.. typical!

[AP-BGJ]

yeah 777 i AGREE with u mate.. aero asia gettin old aircrafts man thats sick.how can one run an airline with only four old aircrafts man i reckon i can do that as well get old russian aircrafts on lease and run an airline in pakistan

[PK777]

Exactly! The airlines of Pakistan are a joke... why dont we think forward to improve services, get the latest aircraft, boost the industry instead of taking a laid back attitude to it all... we need some heavy thinkers like airblue.. that day will come...

[AP-BGJ]

hey 777 mate lets atart our own airlines get old airplanes and lets advertise in international market and to travellers worldwide to come to PAKISTAN and fly in old vintage aircrafts and revisit time. i have travelled with aero asia just to have a feel for old aircrafts i have travelled in vintage 737-200 and other small planes man it was good air safari.

[AirBlue]

flying old airplanes to UK will result in the same thing what happened with PIA ... no more B747s for PIA ... no more anything for Aero Asia with this attitude ... B767s are dated now as well as the B757 ...

kanjoosi achi nahi hoti ...