KARACHI: Fly Jinnah, Pakistan’s new low-cost carrier, announced on Tuesday that it has received its air operator certificate (AOC) and air operating licence (AOL), which will allow it to start operating from Karachi International Airport as the country’s fifth private carrier.

Securing the AOC and AOL confirms that Fly Jinnah has met all professional capabilities, adheres to all safety regulations, and has proven safe and secure to operate as a passenger and cargo airline following the completion of a rigorous inspections by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA), it said in a statement.

In its statement, Fly Jinnah added it will continue to coordinate closely with the PCAA to determine the date for launching the airline operations.

Fly Jinnah: Pakistan's Lakson Group, Air Arabia to start a new low-cost airline

Iqbal Ali Lakhani, Chairman of Fly Jinnah, said: "We are proud to achieve the first milestone in building Fly Jinnah’s history. A lot of hard work has been put into achieving this outcome, thanks to our partners at Air Arabia Group, all the airline staff, and the various divisions for ensuring all PCAA regulatory safety standards and requirements are met.

"We look forward to launching Fly Jinnah’s operations, serving the strategic vision of Pakistan’s travel and tourism sector, and contributing to the country’s economic growth and job creation, while also providing Pakistanis with reliable and value for money air travel."

Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia said: “Today marks the start of a new chapter in Fly Jinnah’s young journey. This milestone reflects our commitment of maintaining the highest possible safety standards across the airline operations while providing the highest value to all our customers. We thank the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority for their support throughout the entire process of obtaining the AOC and we are confident that Fly Jinnah will add significant value to the air transport sector of Pakistan. We look forward to welcoming our first customer on board Fly Jinnah soon."

To obtain the Airline Operating Certificate from the regulatory authority, the airline had to demonstrate fully trained and qualified personnel, infrastructure, systems, processes, and procedures in place to ensure the safety of the public and its employees both on the ground and in the air, it added in the statement.

Fly Jinnah has been assigned the provisional Designator Code 9P by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The carrier will start its operations with a fleet that comprises of three Airbus A320 aircraft.

All aircraft cabin interiors will be fitted with comfort seats, offering one of the industry’s most spacious economy cabin seat pitches.

The carrier will be based in Karachi, the country’s largest city with the aim to serve Pakistan’s travel and tourism sector while contributing to the country’s economy.

Fly Jinnah will initially start serving a range of domestic routes across Pakistan for the first year then it will expand its route network to include international destinations.

Lakson Group and Air Arabia Group announced their decision to form a JV airline in Pakistan in September 2021.

Fly Jinnah will follow Air Arabia’s successful low-cost business model and provide its customer base with a reliable operation and value-driven product.