KARACHI: Number of air travellers growing in country
By Tahir Siddiqui
KARACHI, April 27: The number of domestic air passengers from Karachi to different parts of the country rose to over 300,356 in the first three months of the current year from 211,089 in the corresponding period in 2004. Aviation experts attributed the increase to more aggressive marketing by airlines at Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar.
A highest increase of 47 per cent was recorded in the Karachi-Peshawar sector with 21,457 passengers flying in the first quarter of this year. As many as 14,994 passengers travelled on this sector in the first quarter of the last year.
An increase of 39 per cent in air passengers was witnessed on the Karachi-Lahore and Karachi-Islamabad routes during the period. As many as 141,290 passengers left for Lahore and 131,765 for Islamabad.
The PIA carried 145,788 passengers from Karachi to other parts of the county in the first quarter of the current year as compared to 143,506 in the corresponding period last year. The airline showed only 1.6 growth in air passengers.
The data showed that 22 per cent or 64,891 passengers travelled by the Airblue in the first three months of the current year. The airline was not operational during the corresponding period last year.
The chief of Airblue, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, told Dawn that the primary domestic routes in Pakistan have experienced a growth of over 42 per cent in the first quarter of 2005 when compared with the first quarter 2004.
“The growth in the month of March was a phenomenal 62 per cent”, he added.
The Airblue chief said the growth was primarily due to provision of additional capacity in the market and the availability of lower fares.
“Airblue has been the major stimulant for the growth with the addition of almost 20 per cent to the number of seats available on each sector, a reliable schedule, new-generation equipment, and fare structures based on market demand,” he said.
Around 21 per cent or 62,785 passengers travelled by the Aero Asia. The ailine showed a remarkable increase of 153 per cent on its Karachi-Peshawar sector as it airlifted 4,234 passengers as compared to 1,676 last year.
According to commercial director of the Aero Asia, Raees Khan, the number of air passengers swelled due to increase in the air traffic operations by the local airlines.
“It also depends on the overall economic activity and demand”, he said and added that there was a better economic environments prevailing in the country which led to a sharp rise in the number of air passengers.
The Shaheen Air also experienced growth in the air passengers as nine per cent or 26,892 passengers travelled by the airline as compared to 14,379 during the corresponding period last year.
Mr Farooq Nasir, manager advertising and public relations of Shaheen Air informed that for the last one year, the domestic air traffic movement is showing an upward trend, not only because of the airline industry’s micro- environment but also due to favourable macro-environment for the growing number of potential customers of the aviation industry.
Talking about the reasons for the increased sales of Shaheen Air, Mr. Farooq said that modern fleet, expanding network, on time departures, in-flight services, frequent flyer programme, cabin comfort, competitive fares and customer care are the major factors that are motivating the potential passengers to travel through Shaheen Air.
“Furthermore, to facilitate the air travel at a reasonable price, SA has increased the weekly flight frequencies to fifty eight on Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar Sectors in Pakistan,” he added
However, aviation experts were of the view that at a macro level favourable interdependent political, economic and social factors further encouraged this increase.
