Airblue, the youngest among the private airlines, joined its senior partners in the field when its first international flight flew out from Jinnah International Airport (JIA) on its maiden flight for Dubai on (Sunday) August 14.
The flight carried a full load of 20-business class and 126-economy class passengers. Also on board was Airblue's Chief Operating Officer Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.
Initially, the airline has planned 35 flights a week to Dubai. The airline will operate seven flights a week from Karachi, the first flight already left on August 14. Subsequently from September 1, it will start seven more flights from Karachi, four from Lahore and three each from Islamabad and Peshawar.
Airblue currently operates 51 flights a week within Pakistan and operating a fleet of three Airbus A-320 aircraft with an all Pakistan cockpit and cabin crew.
Following the induction of new generation wide-body A-330 aircraft, having a configuration of 30 seats in business class and 248 seats in economy class, it will further expand its wings and start flying to other international routes some time this year.
Airblue has been granted permission by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to operate eight flights to the United Kingdom and 14 to India per week, besides Qatar, Kuwait, Thailand and Malaysia.
Since multiple designation agreement already exists between the Pakistan CAA and the UK, any number Pakistani private airlines could go to the UK, pending completion of normal formalities, flights to other countries would depend on the expansion of bilateral framework with them.
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