12 new planes to be added to PIA's fleet by 2023: airline chief executive

E-Paper | May 02, 2026

12 new planes to be added to PIA's fleet by 2023: airline chief executive

Muhammad Taimoor Published August 28, 2019

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday permitted Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to purchase additional planes for its existing fleet. — Wikimedia Commons/File

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday approved the purchase of additional planes for Pakistan International Airlines' (PIA) existing fleet.

According to a press release issued by the airline's spokesperson, the decision was taken during a meeting of the aviation division. Federal Minister for Aviation Chaudhry Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance Dr Hafeez Shaikh, Aviation Secretary Shahrukh Nusrat and PIA chief executive Air Marshal Arshad Malik attended the meeting.

During the meeting, the airline chief gave the prime minister a detailed briefing on the future aircraft requirements of the airline as well as its business plan.

Prime Minister Imran gave orders for the improvement of the airline and increase in travel facilities. He directed the finance ministry to cooperate with PIA for the purchase of the new planes.

According to Air Marshal Malik, overall 12 new planes will be added to PIA's fleet by 2023. In the initial stage, four planes will be added to the fleet by 2020.

The PIA chief said that the planes will be medium-sized and will be used for internal and regional routes of travel.

Thanking the premier for his decision, Malik said that the size of PIA's fleet would go up to 45 by 2023.

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Pakistan

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Aug 28, 2019 10:43am

What is the cost and how is it going to be paid?

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Honest

Aug 28, 2019 10:57am

Privatize it first... Don't do investment with sinking economy

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Shah

Aug 28, 2019 11:24am

In all seriousness: a total revamp of PIA is needed from top to the bottom. Rude staff at the contact point between the customer and airline is seriously damaging the airline. Also, a image has been created that PIA do not maintain their aircrafts and money is saved on periodic services. Junaid Jamshed saga seriously damaged PIA´s reputation. Also, let me give one examples where PIA can become better: There are no way to book PIA flights online from Norway where I live and I have to contact a travel agent in another city who of course charge a fee on top of everything else. This is 2019 where Internet is the most important booking platform for all airlines.

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Abdullah

Aug 28, 2019 11:31am

At the cost of tax payers money. PIA is a lost cause but our rulers infatuation with it never ends

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Ashfaq

Aug 28, 2019 11:45am

I do not want to pay taxes that is always being wasted on such notorious purchases and gives me no job.

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Samina

Aug 28, 2019 12:30pm

The only remedy is total privatisation.

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Sid

Aug 28, 2019 12:50pm

Please when we say new.. let’s mean new and not second hand ones.. go for A350 / 787s or the A380

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afsal

Aug 28, 2019 01:06pm

thought the company was broke, laden wiz huge operational losses n a debt mountain?

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Zak

Aug 28, 2019 01:16pm

@afsal, yes - but our political rulers and their kith and kin still need to travel, isn’t it?

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Irfan UK

Aug 28, 2019 01:24pm

Only last week my children travelled to Pakistan on PIA and just like 5 years ago there was no tv, no radio and no headphones. I think i will wait until they buy new planes now because I really have had enough of these losers they make my blood boil, I would sack all the management and start fresh. Also you cannot book online.

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Ahmed

Aug 28, 2019 01:26pm

Who is going to pay for new aircrafts ? Also the management should be asked for their performance for last one year.

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Mustafa

Aug 28, 2019 01:28pm

for a loss-making airlines, it does not matter whether you by 12 or 21 ! It's just a drain on the exchequer.

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Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad

Aug 28, 2019 01:42pm

Great move by the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to order the purchase of much needed 12 new aircraft's for PIA, out of which, four new planes will be added to the PIA fleet by next year. Well done and keep it up.

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Zafar Islam

Aug 28, 2019 01:43pm

Who is giving the loan or it is just an anticipation?

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Captain.Raheel

Aug 28, 2019 01:57pm

Mid range would be A220 and A320 Neo. Please dont buy any Boeing. Some ppl here complaining about PIA need to understand that PIA is doing all it can to pull up from the terrain ahead so buckle up.

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Falcon1

Aug 28, 2019 02:03pm

But how will the government pay for these planes and what are the funding sources? With mounting foreign debt, IMF loans and budget deficits, it is hardly a wise move to invest more on a money-losing proposition. PIA is swallowing a large government subsidy every year, yet keeps on mounting more losses, while there is absolutely no chance of it every returning to profit, if all the Gulf carriers are taking up 90% of the Pakistani passenger load with over 2 dozen daily flights to and from Pakistan by Qatar Airways, Oman Air and Emirates alone, carrying over 5000 passengers daily - that could've flown with PIA instead, But due to poor service and lack of punctuality, inadequate capacity and open skies policies is hurting the company. Without a total revamp, throwing good money after bad one, makes no sense., Painting old planes or even buying new ones, changing crew uniforms or even the logo on the tail of jets, is useless, without improvement in service and reputation of PIA abroad.

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Pakistani

Aug 28, 2019 03:04pm

I can see improvements The planes are clean The service is professional They are trying The locals / passengers also need to try. Make sure they / their kids do not make a mess of the planes Learn how to travel, sit, be considerate to other passengers (wash so don't have body odour)

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Newborn

Aug 28, 2019 03:31pm

The commissions alone on these planes would be in millions of dollars. Future NAB case in the making.

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Hammad

Aug 28, 2019 03:37pm

I travel every year to Karachi but gave up using PIA 10 years ago. PIA has pathetic planes, timing, service and attitude of employees. Imran Khan must consider important parameters for improving PIA so that people like me may consider it in future.

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Leo 53

Aug 28, 2019 04:31pm

Why should tax payers pay for it. These loss making enterprises must be privatized on war footing. Its not a government's job to run airlines and steel mills.

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SHAHID SATTAR

Aug 28, 2019 04:43pm

Just don't forget to provide employments to the extent of 500 plus jobs per plane to be added so as to retain the title of the airlines' top job providers in the aviation industry. That is a feather in our country's cap, which must be retained, even if it means bleeding for the country's economy.

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LAHORI KID

Aug 28, 2019 05:18pm

It’s. Ever been about the planes, it’s about the crew, one of the worst in the business, the management, one of the worst in the business, the way the airline is ran, one of the worst in the business, discipline and standards, one of the worst in the business. Until, and unless you reorganize the entire airline, buying more planes will not make a difference.

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Shahzad

Aug 28, 2019 05:54pm

Pay severance package of 12 months to all staff and dissolve the airline.

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Shah Hafeez

Aug 28, 2019 06:25pm

Salaam, PIA has really gone down in sinkhole. It will need a major reconstruction of Staff, Pilots, Website, Duration times (i.e not be late), it will also have to improve food quality just to name a few things. We could learn from Qatar and others on how they are successful. The Key, I think is honesty and customer service, from CEO to luggage handlers. The Customs are also something we need to look at.

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khawaja javaid

Aug 28, 2019 06:39pm

New PIA CEO is not a commercial aviation person. Adding twelve aircrafts in 4-years shows extremele poor knowledge of fleet planning/route network. Just read United Airines is adding 27- wide body planes in 2020. PIA needs people with right knowledge of marketing,fleet planning,route planning.joint venture through code sharing.

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Anas Iqbal

Aug 28, 2019 06:46pm

Great news! I just wish we keep maintaining them inside and out. Just looking at some comments from other readers, I think some staff training, a small course of ethics and customer communication might be helpful especially for customer-facing departments.

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M. Afzal Riaz, MD

Aug 28, 2019 06:53pm

Privatize PIA. PIA is overstaffed by 200 % compared to other airlines. Is deficit reduced?

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Lion

Aug 28, 2019 07:01pm

madness to have a government run an airline. absolute flawed. does not happen anywhere. they will privatize as per PMLN sucessfull agenda

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Hameed

Aug 28, 2019 07:58pm

@Abdullah, This is a national airline. it has to be saved and profitable.

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Amjad Durrani Engineer USA

Aug 28, 2019 08:03pm

The PIA has accumulated liabilities of over Rs300 billion & an additional loss of over Rs5.6bn is being added to this amount every month, earning around Rs7.5 billion a month while its expenses are over Rs 13.14bn. Major monthly expenses are over Rs 4.4bn in loan & mark-up repayment, over Rs 2.6bn over fuel and over Rs 1.6bn over salaries. The accumulated loss / liabilities of over Rs300bn include over Rs186bn of bank loans, Rs40bn of Civil Aviation Authority charges/ dues, over Rs13. 5bn to be paid to the Pakistan State Oil and over Rs 4.5bn to the Federal Bureau of Revenue, etc It is a fact that with the open skies policy, the PIA with its ageing fleet was facing difficulties in competing with airlines like Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, Oman Air etc which had better aircraft and crew. With untrained 600 politically appointed workers/ plane against std. of 350, It would be a miracle if addition of 12 planes could bring this financially sick & mismanaged industry back to health..

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Syed Hafeez Imran

Aug 28, 2019 08:13pm

@Sid, the A380 is a nonstarter many airlines are reconsidering their choice. it is uneconomical to use; and being a very large plane totally unsuitable to ply on domestic and regional routes

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Syed Hafeez Imran

Aug 28, 2019 08:20pm

@Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad, so you believe that PIAS problems will be solved by just purchasing new planes. How naive. I am from an aviation family, having relatives in CAA, PIA and the pilots PIAS problems are much more complex and complicated. it is also a question of attitude and professionalism and merit. It is the case of it turning onto a dumping ground for non qualified incompetent sifarishis, It is a question of choosing the right routes, pricing and great service it is also a question of Aviation policies (The open sky gambit) it is a question of vested interests going against the interests of the airline. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Air Blue and many others. Buy 20 new planes and it will hardly make an impact. Soon with the abyssal standard os maintenance they too be become U/S( Unserviceable

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Dr. Faazil Ahmed

Aug 28, 2019 09:08pm

Some good news finally. It would have been even better if PIA would be privatized

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Jamshed

Aug 29, 2019 10:58am

Reduce flights of UAE who are a burden on our economy. They are money sucking. Sign deals with Turkish airlines with reduced rates which benefit Pakistan in foreign exchange.

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