The first of the three newly acquired Boeing 777-200ER flew into Karachi on Saturday afternoon to a vociferous reception at the airport arranged by PIA management.
The reception was arranged in the Overhaul Hall of PIA's Engineering Department which was tastefully decorated with balloons and posters. Ceremonial arches were erected at the entrance of the Hall and professional drum-beaters were engaged to add colour to the occasion.
As the aircraft drew towards the Hall, the atmosphere reverberated with full throated slogans of Pakistan Zindabad and PIA Zindabad raised by several hundred workers and employees of the national carrier who had gathered to rejoice over the welcome addition.
As the engines were switched off and the aircraft came to a halt, Ahmed Saeed, Chairman, Pakistan International Airlines, came out of the aircraft first, followed by others who had travelled with him from Seattle.
The Chairman was profusely garlanded and given hug by the jubilant staff present there.
Ceremonies over, Ahmed Saeed, in one of his briefest speeches, talked about the condition of the national carrier three years back, when he took over, and the turnaround which has now been achieved. He paid glowing tributes to the workers and other staff for working "over time" in pulling PIA out of turmoil. "We have done our bit; now it is your turn to sustain whatever has been achieved. You have to take PIA to new heights," he said.
He particularly mentioned flight service and engineering and cockpit crew for doing a good job, but expressed unhappiness with the traffic department. He advised it to improve the service and make the travelling public feel happy and relaxed.
The Chairman advised the employees to prove that they deserve the new aircraft and that PIA should emerge as the best airline in the world.
The aircraft, he said, was only a machine. It was for all who work in PIA to ensure that the machine is gainfully employed. "Operating all the new technology, 777s will give our passengers more frequency, access to more destinations and an improved class of service and comfort," he said.
PIA is also the launch customer for the 777-200 LR and the second airline in the world to operate the new fully integrated, certified Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) in the flight deck.
The EFB system gives airline pilots all the information to navigate the airplane at their fingertips in a digital display, currently found in manuals.
"The 777 family provides the flexibility to meet PIA's needs now and into the future," said Toby Bright, Vice-President, Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "We look forward to expanding our close working together relationship."
Boeing has also announced, as part of its agreement to sell 777 airplanes to PIA, a new Industrial Co-operation agreement with Precision Engineering Complex (PEC), a subsidiary of Pakistan International Airlines. PEC earned its certification from the Boeing Quality Management System (BQMS) earlier this month in Karachi. PEC could begin manufacturing parts of Boeing airplanes, including 777 family, this year.
APP ADDS: the new Boeing 777-200ER aircraft of Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (PIAC) made inaugural landing at the Islamabad International airport on Saturday with over 230 passengers on board.
The flight, which touched down at around 6.30 am, was received by senior officials of PIA while a formal induction ceremony was held later where Defence Minister Sikandar Iqbal was chief guest.
The state-of-the-art aircraft was handed over to PIA in Seattle (USA) on January 29, from where it flew to London and landed at Heathrow airport. After a two-hour stop-over, the aircraft carrying 200 passengers (197 in Economy class and 3 in Business class) landed at Islamabad on Saturday morning.
The plane carries a number of on-board modern facilities for entertainment and recreation besides direct access to Internet and telecommunication.
PIAC Chairman Ahmed Saeed, along with his wife, travelled in the plane as normal passengers by purchasing tickets for himself and his spouse.
Executive Vice President of Boeing Toby Bright and other senior staff of the company were included among those who were on board the inaugural flight.
Minister for Culture., and Tourism Munir Ahmed, Minister for Finance Shaukat Aziz, and US Ambassador Nancy Powell were among the dignitaries who were present at the reception to induct the hi-tech aircraft among PIA's existing fleet of 45 aircraft. This induction bears high significance as PIA has been able to expand its fleet after a gap of around a decade.
Sikandar said: "Today is a proud day for Pakistan International Airlines, as it welcomes its first state-of-the-art new aircraft, the advanced new Boeing 777 into its fleet."
PIA, in all, he said, will induct 6 of the latest Boeing 777 family aircraft into its fleet by 2008 as part of a master business plan, approved by the then Chief Executive and now the President of Pakistan, to modernise and extend its fleet within the next decade.
The new Management headed by Secretary Defence, took over the airline, just 3 years back, confronted with a monumental challenge in bringing PIA back from the brink of financial and organisational disaster, he said.
During the first year, the Airline set a target to break even by July-December 2001 and succeeded in not just meeting its target but bring in a respectable profit of Rs 400 million, he said.
The following year, it set and achieved targets of Rs 2.2 billion and in the following year 2003 it achieved a higher profit of 3.3 billion rupees, he added.
PIA has also revived some of its old destinations like Chicago, Almaty, Tashkent and Sharjah.
Welcoming the normalisation of relations between India and Pakistan and subsequent opening of the Indian airspace, Sikandar said that PIA would be reviving its flights to Mumbai, Delhi, Kathmandu, Dhaka and Colombo. "Some additional destinations are also in the pipeline and may be surfacing soon on PIA's route map," the Defence Minister said.
The airline is also marking the day by introducing a fresh new livery for its aircraft and a new look for its cabin crew, he said. "With the introduction of Boeing 777 family aircraft into PIA fleet, we hope to see the national carrier well on its way to not just regaining all its past glory but surpassing its own past records to compete with the best and take its place among the top airlines in the airline industry, world wide, Insha Allah," he added.
He congratulated Secretary Defence, Chairman and PIAC Management for attaining yet another landmark in their march toward new avenues and frontiers.
Earlier, in his address PIAC Chairman, pointing out future plans, said that the airline has wide open vistas to make headway in achieving economic prosperity for itself in general and ultimately for the country in particular.
He said the deal was finalised following hectic efforts made at different levels and the dream has come true giving impetus to the economy of the airline. He said the deal was finalised on basis of equity by the Government of Pakistan while the rest amount had been managed by Exim Bank on very minimal interest rate.
At Heathrow airport, the flight was warmly received by Pakistani expatriates especially the business community and diplomatic staff. A reception was organised on the occasion.
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