The latest airplane that has been added to PIA’s fleet, an Airbus a320, arrived at the Karachi airport on Thursday.
The Airbus A320 is one of the world’s favorite narrow-body short/medium-haul jet airplanes. By virtue of right-sized fuselage, it enhances comfort for passengers and at the same time enjoys the reputation of being a fuel-efficient aircraft. A320 aircraft mostly serve PIA’s domestic and regional routes.
The airplane departed from Istanbul and reached Karachi at 7am, according to officials of the national airline.
“The plane will be first painted after which PIA’s logo will be put up on it,” said an official. “The Airbus a320 has been bought on a dry lease of six years.”
A dry lease is a long-term arrangement under which an aircraft is provided without a crew, maintenance or insurance to an airline company. The payment is made on a monthly or yearly basis. PIA has taken this lease from aircraft-leasing company ALAFCO.
After the addition of this plane, PIA now has of 12 Airbus a320s. The airline’s total fleet consists of 33 airplanes.
The Airbus a320 will be added to the fleet in the first week of December after it is updated.
A similar plane will arrive in the city next month. Both planes were previously used by Saudi Airlines from August 2010 to 2018.
“The addition of new these airplanes will facilitate air operations,” said PIA official Abdullah Khan. “Travelers will also be provided with better services during flights.”
