KARACHI: The first flight of the country’s new low-cost airline, Fly Jinnah, took off from Karachi on Monday and landed at Islamabad airport, where the aircraft was received with the traditional water cannon salute.

The airline held the inaugural ceremony of its first flight at a local hotel to mark the start of its operations. The event was attended by members of the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, senior leaders of Lakson Group, Air Arabia Group, etc.

In September 2021, Lakson and Air Arabia groups had announced their decision to form a JV airline with Karachi as its hub.

With a fleet comprising three Airbus A320-200, the airline now operates direct daily flights from Karachi to Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar. It operates direct flights four times weekly between Karachi and Quetta.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Fly Jinnah chairman Iqbal Ali Lakhani said: “Today’s milestone marks the beginning of Fly Jinnah’s operations. We are confident that Fly Jinnah will offer its customers a convenient air travel option backed up with a value-driven product and services.”

Adel Al Ali, the group chief executive officer of Air Arabia, said: “Today marks a special occasion as Fly Jinnah takes off to the skies. This step reflects the carrier’s strategic commitment to offer a reliable and value for money air travel to its customer base in Pakistan.”

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2022