Pakistan International Airlines  Generally known as PIA; or Pakistan International, is the national flag carrier and a state-owned enterprise of Government of Pakistan. Once regarded as Asia's best airline, it is headquartered at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi  and operates scheduled services to 24 domestic destinations and 38 international destinations in 27 countries across Asia, Europe and North America. Its main bases are at Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad/Rawalpindi. The airline's secondary bases include Peshawar, Faisalabad, Quetta, Sialkot and Multan, from which it connects the metropolitan cities with the main bases, the Middle East, Europe, and the Far East. It is primarily owned by the Government of Pakistan and is regulated by the Ministry Of Defence as an autonomous body. It employed 18,043 people as of May 2008. History Pre-Independence Pakistan International Airlines can trace its origins to the days when Pakistan had not yet gained independence from the British Raj. In 1946, the country's founder Muhammed Ali Jinnah realized the need for a flag carrier for the prospective country and requested financial help from a wealthy businessman Mirza Ahmad Ispahani for this purpose. Around that time, a new airline 'Orient Airways', was registered in Calcutta on 23 October 1946. In February 1947, the airline bought 3 DC-3 airplanes from a company in Texas and obtained a license to fly in May of the same year. The airline started its operations in June, offering services from Kolkata to Sittwe and Yangon. This was the first post second-world-war airline flight by a South Asian registered airline company.On 14 August 1947, Pakistan came into being and Orient Airways started relief operations for the new country. Shortly after Pakistan's independence, the airline moved its operations to Karachi. PIA L1049C Super Constellation at London (Heathrow) Airport in 1955 A Convair CV-240 in the 1950s at Karachi airport A Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 707 photographed in Germany, 1961 Post-Independence On 7 June 1954, Orient Airways started its operations by offering flight services between the two wings of Pakistan, i.e. service from Karachi to Dhaka. In addition, the airline also introduced two new domestic routes, i.e.,Karachi-Lahore-Peshawar and Karachi-Quetta-Lahore. However, due to sustained losses being suffered by the airline, the Government of Pakistan proposed that Orient Airways merge with a new national airline. On 11 March 1955, Orient Airways merged with the government's proposed airline, becoming Pakistan International Airlines Corporation. The newly formed airline not just offered services on its domestic routes but also inaugurated its first international route, Karachi-London Heathrow Airport via Cairo and Rome, using 3 newly-acquired Lockheed L-1049C Super Constellations. The airline continued using DC-3s on domestic routes in Pakistan. In May 1956, PIA ordered 2 Super Lockheed Constellations of the latest L-1049H type and 5 Vickers Viscount 815. 1960s The appointment of Air Marshal Nur Khan as the Managing Director of PIA in 1959 heralded an era of great successes for PIA. In March 1960, PIA wet-leased a Boeing 707 from Pan American airlines, thereby becoming the first Asian airline to induct a jet-aircraft in its fleet. With the newly acquired aircraft, the airline introduced its first trans-Atlantic route Karachi-New York JFK in 1961. In 1962, it expanded its fleet by placing orders for Boeing 720s,Fokker F27s, and Sikorsky helicopters. In the same year, one of PIA's Boeing 720s made a world record for the shortest duration non-stop flight ( 6 hours 43 minutes and 51 seconds ) from London to Karachi, a record which still holds to this day. The Boeing 720 was on its maiden flight when it flew from Seattle-London-Karachi by PIA's senior Captain Abdullah Baig. From 1962 to 1966, PIA operated only its Sikorsky S-61 helicopters for services related to East Pakistan (present day Bangladesh) due to some technical difficulties. The normal operations on these routes resumed in 1966 when conditions improved. Upon the establishment of ties between Pakistan Government and People's Republic of China, PIA started flying to Beijing in 1964, becoming the first airline of a non-communist country flying to the People's Republic of China. At the outbreak of Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, the Pakistani Armed Forces seek PIA's services for logistics and transport purposes. The Viscounts were phased out in 1966 and were replaced by 4 Hawker Siddeley Tridents. These aircraft were later sold to Civil Aviation Administration of China. 1970s The 70s decade was marked by resumption of transatlantic flights, introduction of new destinations, appointment of Nur Khan as its executive for the second term, and the beginning of financially successful period for the airline. When the political situation in East Pakistan (present day Bangladesh) started deteriorating in early 70s, thePakistan Army once again used PIA's services to airlift soldiers and ammunition to East Pakistan.[citation needed] Most flights had to detour to Sri Lanka during trips between West Pakistan and East Pakistan. However, couple of PIA's cargo planes were shot down by the fighter jets of Indian Air Force. With the establishment of cordial ties between the Libyan and Pakistani governments in early 70s, PIA added a new international route, Tripoli, to its map in 1972. It also signed an agreement with Yugoslav airline JAT. PIA acquired McDonnell Douglas DC-10s in 1973 and used those planes to replace Boeing 707-300s. In 1974, PIA launched Pakistan International Cargo, offering air freight and cargo services. In 1975, PIA introduced new uniforms for air hostesses which were chosen through an open competition, with the winning entry designed by Sir Hardy Amies, the designer of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The later half of the decade witnessed further expansion of PIA's fleet with the introduction of Boeing 747s through either leased or purchased aircraft. During this decade, airline gained considerable popularity and was regarded as Asia's best airline. For the first time since its inauguration, PIA started providing technical and administrative assistance or leased aircraft to foreign airlines including Somali Airlines, Air Malta and Yemenia. A subsidiary of PIA also started providing hotel management services in United Arab Emirates towards the end of the decade. The Fokker F27 used to be the backbone of PIA's services to northern Pakistani areas in the 1990s [11] A Pakistan International Airliens Airbus A300 at Fiumicino Airport in 1991. 1980s The 1980s decade began with the opening of a cargo handling center at Karachi airport, duty-free shops, the first C and D safety checks on its entire fleet, as well as the introduction of airline's first Airbus A300B4-203 aircraft. In 1984, the airline introduced Night-Coach service as a low-cost alternative to day-time domestic flights. In the following years, PIA Planetarium was inaugurated in Karachi which was followed by planetariums in Lahore andPeshawar. These planetariums featured retired PIA aircraft on display for educational or observational purposes. Two more retired Boeing 720B airplanes were donated to the planetariums in Karachi and Lahore later on. Also in 1985, five new Boeing 737-300s airplanes were introduced in PIA's fleet, making PIA the first Asian airline with such diverse aircraft fleet. In late 1987 and early 1988, services to Malé and Toronto were introduced. In 1989, Shukria Khanam became the first woman pilot to obtain a license to fly a commercial passenger plane but never joined PIA as a pilot. A year later, First Officer Maliha Sami became the first female pilot of PIA when she took-off on Karachi-Panjgur-Turbat-Gwadar route. In mid-1980s, PIA also helped establish Emirates airline by leasing two of its airplanes - Airbus 300 and Boeing 737 - as well as providing technical and administrative assistance to the new carrier. 1990s In June 1991, Airbus delivered the first of six Airbus A310-300 aircraft that PIA had ordered. With the new airplanes, the airline introduced flights to Tashkent in 1992 and to Zürich in 1993. PIA added Jakarta, Fujairah, Baku and Al-Ain to its destinations in 1994. In addition, PIA became a client of three different flight-reservation systems, namely: Sabre, Galileo and Amadeus. Air Safari flights were launched in 1994 using Boeing 737 300 aircraft that used to fly over the Karakoram mountain range. In 1995, PIA purchased a Boeing 747 flight simulator to train its pilots. It also purchased another used Airbus A300 aircraft from Air France. A Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft was also leased briefly in 1996 to cope with surge in passenger traffic during summer 1996. Flights to Beirut were resumed the same year as well. In 1999, PIA leased 5 Boeing 747–300 aircraft from Cathay Pacific to replace its Boeing 747-200M fleet. The aircraft were painted with a new livery - a handwork Pashmina tail on white body and large Pakistan titles on the front fuselage. The livery was adopted in early 90s but due to some copyright issues it had to be dropped. The Boeing 747-300s remained in the new look but with a plain green tail with PIA titles. The other aircraft in the fleet were repainted in early 1990s livery. 2000s Boeing 747-300 on finals to London Heathrow Airport, England In July 2002, PIA purchased six Boeing 747-300 aircraft from Cathay Pacific, five of which were already on lease. The sixth one arrived shortly afterwards and was used mainly on its North American and European routes. In October 2002, after a period of ten years without any new orders, the airline placed an order for eight Boeing 777aircraft from The Boeing Company. The order included all three variants of 777, i.e. three 777-200ER (Extended Range), two 777-200LR (Longer Range) and three 777-300ER versions. PIA was the launch customer that revived the Boeing 777-200LR project that, until then, only had three orders by EVA Air. Boeing delivered the first of three 777-200ER aircraft to PIA in January 2004. PIA introduced a new livery for 777-200ERs airplanes and that livery was later applied to most airplanes of its fleet. PIA also leased six more Airbus A310-300/ET planes from Airbus company directly. On 3 November 2005, PIA placed an order to purchase sevenATR42-500 aircraft from ATR to replace its aging fleet of Fokker F27 aircraft. On 6 December 2005, PIA acquired another new Boeing 777-200ER on a ten year lease from the International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC). The aircraft was delivered in January 2007 to the airline. On 25 February 2006, Boeing delivered its first 777-200LR Worldliner to PIA, when it flew from Everett to Islamabad via Manchester. With the induction of long range aircraft in its fleet, PIA started offering non-stop flights from Toronto to Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore from 3 March 2006. PIA had also planned non-stop flights to New York and other US cities with sizable Pakistani populations but was not given permission by US authorities. ATR delivered two of the seven ordered airplanes by PIA in May and December 2006 respectively, following which the airline ceased using military Lockheed C-130 Hercules for passenger services in northern areas of Pakistan. The military planes were being used after the PIA Flight 688 accident. On 23 December 2006, PIA took delivery of its first Boeing 777-300ER. A pair of Boeing 747s stored at Sialkot in 2008 during the EU restrictions. However, once the ban was lifted the aircraft were back in use on all routes European Union Ban On 5 March 2007, the European Commission banned all but 9 planes of PIA's 42-plane fleet from flying to Europe citing safety concerns of its aging fleet. The ban was imposed following an on-site visit led by Federico Grandini, European Commission’s Air Safety Administrator. The remaining 7, namely the fleet of Boeing 777s, was exempted from the ban. PIA claimed that the ban was discriminatory and unjustifiable. On 26 March 2007, Tariq Saeed Kirmani was coerced to resign after severe pressure from higher authorities because of the EU ban. Zafar Khan was appointed as the new chairman of Pakistan International Airlines. The ban on the eleven of thirty five aircraft was lifted after a period of four months on 5 July 2007, following another inspection by European Union's Air Safety Administration. Of the eleven aircraft, five were Boeing 747-300s and the remaining six were Airbus A310-300s. On 29 November 2007, the EU completely removed the ban and PIA's entire fleet was permitted to fly to Europe. To avoid any such embarrassment in future, PIA signed a deal to lease seven newAirbus A320-200 from Kuwait based leasing company ALAFCO. The aircraft were supposed to be delivered during 2008 and 2009 but the deal was cancelled before any delivery took place. Current decade In February 2012, PIA ordered 5 more Boeing 777-300ER aircraft with delivery starting in 2015. In August 2012, it was announced that PIA will induct another eight aircraft to its fleet. This upgrade would include 2 777-200ER, 2 Boeing 747-400 and 4 Boeing 737-800. The 777s will be inducted in November 2012 while the remaining aircraft would be inducted in December 2012. Corporate management Structure Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (PIAC) is majority owned by the Government of Pakistan (87%) while the remainder (13%) by private shareholders. The airline is under the administration of Ministry of Defence the chairman of which is Ahmad Mukhtar. The airline is managed by managing director as well as the Board of Directors. The Board consists of nine independent non-executive members and has four sub-committees: an Audit Committee, Brand and Advertising Committee, Finance Committee, and Human Resource Committee each having its own charter and chairman. The MD leads the executive management of staff who run the airline. The airline's main headquarters are located at Karachi Airport while smaller sub head offices are located in several cities within Pakistan. Privatization Jinnah International Airport - the PIA headquarters is located in that complex PIA offices in Lahore In the late 1990s, the Government of Pakistan considered selling the airline to the private sector due to the persistent losses suffered by the airline. The Government announced its privatization plans but they were never implemented. Several steps towards outsourcing of non-core business have been initiated. Catering units (starting with Karachi Flight Kitchen), ground handling (starting with ramp services) and engineering, are to be gradually carved out of the airline and operated as independent companies. During 1997, Pakistan called in a team fromInternational Finance (IFC), the consulting arm of the World Bank, to advise on restructuring and privatization of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). However, no agreement was reached. The government has had many plans for the privatization of the State owned airline. However, no reasonable agreement or solution has been found to this day. On 18 February 2009 the carrier was dropped from the privatization list. Financial performance The following table gives the key financial results for 2011 along with those since 2004. The financial performance for FY 2011 continues to be a challenge with an after tax loss of PKR 26.767 billion. This was preceded by six consecutive loss making years dating back to 2005. The airline did report a reduction of post tax losses of 83% in 2009 (compared to 2008) based on a reduction in fuel cost, comparatively stable exchange rate for the Pakistan Rupee and higher revenues. But in 2011 & 2010, losses again rose sharply compared to the previous years. The airline faces many challenges to its profitability such as staffing levels and overall management issues. An employee count of 18,014 for a fleet of 40 aircraft  is clearly an area that needs to be reviewed. Revenues  Year Revenues (PKR in Million) Profit/(Loss) (PKR in Million) Employees (Ave.) 2011 116,551 (26,767) 18,014 2010 107,532 (20,785) 18,019 2009 94,564 (5,822) 17,944 2008 88,863 (36,139) 18,036 2007 70,481 (13,399) 18,149 2006 70,587 (12,763) 18,282 2005 64,074 (4,412) 19,263 2004 57,788 2,307 19,634 The report for the first quarter of 2012  does not show any improvement. The after tax losses reported for the first quarter of 2012 are PKR 7.81 billion as compared to PKR 4.24 for Q1 of 2011. Revenue is also pretty much stagnant at PKR 26.44 billion for the first quarter of 2012 compared with PKR 26.18 billion for the first quarter of 2011. After hovering around the five and a half million mark for around 5 years, the passenger traffic rose to just under six million in 2011 while the passenger load factor went down from 74% in 2010 to 72% in 2011. Passenger Traffic  Year Revenue Passengers (Million) Passenger Load Factor Average Passenger Stage Distance (Statute KM) 2011 5.953 72 2,631 2010 5.538 74 2,827 2009 5.535 70 2,510 2008 5.617 71 2,479 2007 5.415 67 2,527 2007 5.415 67 2,527 2006 5.732 69 2,639 2005 5.499 70 2,638 It is also interesting to note that for 2011, about 81% of revenue is from passenger traffic and only 5% from cargo. Another 7.8% is from room food and beverage sales! The remaining 6% is from excess baggage, charter, engineering services, handling & related services, mail & other. Chairman of PIA List of Chairman of Pakistan International Airline. Chairman Name Joined Retired Mirza Ahmad Ispahani March 17, 1955 1962 Abdul Qasim Khan October 30, 1962 1963 Chaudhry Nazir Ahmad Khan July 12, 1963 1965 Syed Fida Hussain September, 1965 1966 S. Ghyasuddin Ahmed June, 1966 1973 Maj Gen (R) Fazal Muqeem Khan August, 1973 November, 1973 Air Marshal (R) Nur Khan November 7, 1973 September 30, 1978 Anwar Jamali October 1, 1978 January 21, 1981 Maj Gen (R) Fazal Muqeem Khan January 22, 1981 December 3, 1985 Syed Ijlal Haider Zaidi December 4, 1985 April 12, 1989 Air Marshal Mohammed Azim Daudpota April 13, 1989 December 15, 1989 Air Chief Marshal Farooq Feroze Khan December 16, 1989 July 6, 1990 Col (R) Ghulam Sarwar Cheema July 7, 1990 August 6, 1990 Air Chief Marshal Farooq Feroze Khan August 7, 1990 March 7, 1991 Muhammad Nawaz Tiwana March 8, 1991 September 8, 1991 Mumtaz Hameed September 8, 1991 June 30, 1992 Muhammad Nawaz Tiwana July 1, 1992 September 27, 1992 Mohammad Anwar Zahid September 28, 1992 January 5, 1994 Syed Salim Abbas Jilani January 6, 1994 September 27, 1994 Sardar Anwar Elahi Laghari September 28, 1994 October 17, 1996 Muhammad Nawaz Tiwana October 18, 1996 November 25, 1996 Hasan Raza Pasha November 25, 1996 April 29, 1997 Shahid Khaqan Abbasi April 30, 1997 October 12, 1999 Lieutenant-General (R) Naseem Rana November 11, 1999 March 29, 2001 Lieutenant General Hamid Nawaz Khan March 30, 2001 February 7, 2003 Chaudhry Ahmad Saeed February 8, 2003 April 16, 2005 Tariq Kirmani April 19, 2005 April 9, 2007 Zafar Ahmad Khan April 9, 2007 February 28, 2008 Kamran Rasool February 28, 2008 May 6, 2009 Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar May 6, 2009 May 24, 2012 Air Chief Marshal (R) Rao Qamar Suleman May 29, 2012 September 19, 2012 Lt Gen (R) Asif Yaseen Malik October 24, 2012 Till date Destination As of June 2012 PIA serves 24 domestic destinations and 38 international destinations in 27 countries across Asia, Europe and North America from its home bases of Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar. Dubai is a major focus city for the airline with flights to Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Faisalabad, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Peshawar and Quetta. Codeshare agreements PIA has codeshare agreements with the following airlines (as of April 2012): China Southern Airlines (SkyTeam) Thai Airways International (Star Alliance) Turkish Airlines (Star Alliance) Fleet The Pakistan International Airlines fleet includes the following aircraft (as of November 2012). Several A selection of PIA aircraft parked in Islamabad. Boeing 747-300 on final approach toLondon Heathrow Airport in 2004 Pakistan International Airlines Fleet Aircraft Total Order Option Passengers Notes J Q Y Total Airbus A310-300 12 0 0 12 40 132 184 18 43 144 205 18 45 142 205 ATR 42-500 7 0 0 — 10 40 50 Boeing 737-300 4 0 0 — 24 94 118 Boeing 747-300 5 0 0 — 30 448 478 To exit service starting in March 2015 Boeing 777-200ER 4 0 0 35 45 240 320 35 54 240 329 Boeing 777-200LR 2 0 0 35 60 215 310 Boeing 777-300ER 3 5 5 35 60 304 393 PIA Orders 5 Boeing 777-300ER's to replace the old 747-300's [25][26][27][28] Total 37 5 5 Livery An Airbus 310 at Leeds Bradford International Airport (2011). A Boeing 777 in the current new livery of PIA, landing at London Heathrow Airport(2010). In December 2003 PIA introduced a new image that was applied to their first 777-200ER and on two leased A310-300s one of which was in service. The livery was white at the front and beige at the rear separated by a dark green stripe. The tail was painted white with PIA written in dark green. PAKISTAN was added to the front fuselage and the engines were painted in beige colour. The PIA written in calligraphic Urdu was added just behind the cockpit. However, due to criticism the design was modified before the first Boeing 777 was delivered. PIA and Boeing replaced the tail with a flowing Pakistan flag on a beige background. PAKISTAN titles were removed and the PIA acronym was enlarged and moved onto the fuselage. The engines and Urdu PIA remained the same. The leased A310s and most of PIA fleet also adopted this livery at a later date. In early 2006 the airline launched four new tail designs for its fleet. The tails represented the four provinces of Pakistan: Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa and Balochistan. The tails promoted the cultures of the four provinces of Pakistan by applying motifs to the tails and adding a city name to the rear of the fuselage corresponding to the province. The "Frontier" tail represented the "Phulkari" (flowering) pattern that reflected a tradition of embroidery generally done on shawls, shirts and linen. The "Punjab" tail was loosely related to the tile decoration of the Wazir Khan Mosque in Lahore. The "Balochistan" tail showed the creativity seen in the kilims, carpets and rugs woven with wool, goat or camel hair and mixed yarn. The pattern is mostly bold geometric motifs in primary colours dominated by red. The "Sindh" tail was influenced from the Hala tile work with electric blue and white floral patterns. In 2008 management stopped the application of provincial tails deeming them too costly. PIA launched their new livery in early April 2010. An Airbus A310, Boeing 777–200 and Boeing 747–300 were the first aircraft to wear the new look. The livery was unveiled at the PIA headquarters on a Boeing 777 model. The livery consists of a Green and Gold strip running around the bottom of the fuselage and continuing right up until the tail cone. The forward/upper portion is white and at the rear it is an off white/beige colour. The bottom part of the tail blends into the upper fuselage as it is too white with the rest of the tail painted with a large wavy Pakistan flag which takes up the whole tail in a dark green colour. At the front of the fuselage 'PIA' is written in a billboard style in dark green and underneath 'Pakistan International' is written in gold. Just behind the cockpit there is a stylised Urdu PIA logo as well as on the engines. Underneath 'Pakistan' is written in bold on the aircraft belly. Services Boeing 747-240MB at Manchester Airport Cabin PIA operate a three class configuration on its domestic routes: Business Plus, Economy Plus+ and Economy. On their international flights a two class configuration, Business Plus and Economy, has remained popular. According to their Annual Report 2007, PIA recorded a seat factor of 69%, a percentage drop from 2006. PIA Business Plus passengers are offered lie-flat bed seats on all Boeing 777 as well as selected Airbus A310 aircraft. Newspapers and magazines The PIA in-flight magazine, Humsafar (Urdu for "travel companion"), is provided to all passengers on all flights.Humsafar was introduced in 1980 and is printed and published in-house bi-monthly. General Urdu and English newspapers and magazines are available to all Business Plus and Economy Plus class passengers. Free newspapers are provided to all Economy class passengers. Frequent flyer programme PIA Awards Plus+ is the frequent flyer programme. The programme allows passengers to get free tickets, excess baggage vouchers, cabin upgrades, and a variety of rewards, special deals, and discounts with participants. Awards Plus+ has three tiers of membership — Emerald, Sapphire and Diamond. Awards Plus+ miles can be earned by flying PIA and by using the products and services of PIA's partners. Catering PIA Catering is the main suppliers of meals for the airline. It can produce 15,000 passenger meals each day. However, since 2006, the management of the flight kitchens has been given to Singapore Air Terminal Services (SATS). PIA Catering provides special meals to allow for passengers' dietary and religious needs. PIA does not serve alcohol on its flights, nor is pork served on board because of religious law. Cargo operations PIA operates a cargo delivery system within Pakistan. During the early 1970s, PIA operated a service called "Air Express" that delivered documents and parcels from one airport to another. Pakistan International Cargo was started in 1974 using two Boeing 707-320C, with services to the Middle East and Europe. The operations ended in the late 1990s when both aircraft were grounded. PIA Cargo transports goods across Pakistan as well as to international destinations. These include meat and vegetables, textiles, paper products, laboratory equipment and postal mail. In 2003 PIA launched "'PIA Speedex'", a courier service in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi/Islamabad; expanding within a year to 12 cities. Today, the airline offers over 70 locations within Pakistan, with shipments collected and delivered from customers' homes. From 2004 to September 2007, PIA Cargo operated two Airbus A300 Freighter aircraft chartered through MNG Airlines to Haan and Luton; initially these also operated to Amsterdam, Basel and Cologne. Corporate sponsorship The airline has sponsored events, both within Pakistan and in its overseas markets. In the 1990s, the airline launched the three green stripe livery to represent its support for sports. The airline supports the Pakistan International Airlines first-class cricket team that plays in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy and Patron's Trophy. PIA sponsors the PIA football club, and the A1 Team Pakistan in the A1 Grand Prix open-wheel auto racing series when it was initially launched. The airline also promotes the Shandur Polo Gala, that takes place every year in theChitral and Gilgit regions of northern Pakistan during the summer period. PIA also has its own Sports Division since 1958 promoting sports within Pakistan such as cricket, hockey, football, squash, polo, tennis, bridge, chess, table tennis, cycling, and body building. PIA has its own Boy Scouts Association (PIA-BSA) working in partnership with Pakistan Boy Scouts Association. After the earthquake, PIA-BSA worked in partnership with other charity organisations to provide relief help. PIA was one of the official sponsors of the "Destination Pakistan 2007" festivals. The official logo was added to a select number of aircraft during the year In 2008, PIA teamed up with mobile phone provider, Ufone to provide air miles to passengers who used the mobile network. Standard Chartered Bank and PIA launched Credit Cards allowing passengers to earn air miles for use of their credit cards. In 2009, PIA was the gold sponsor for Logistics Pakistan, an Exhibition and Conference poised to highlight the emerging opportunities for the Logistics sector in Pakistan. In 2009, PIA and Pakistan Remittance Initiative(PRI) formed a strategic alliance to promote world money transfers. PIA has Planetariums in Karachi and Lahore which enable the public to see static aircraft as well as astronomy shows. PIA Horticulture, set up in 1996, provides flowers for display in PIA's offices and for events, winning awards and accolades at flower exhibitions across the country. The airline supports non-profit organisations within Pakistan such as; Al-Shifa Trust, Zindagi Trust, The Citizens Foundation and Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT). In 2009, PIA teamed up with the fast-food franchise, McDonalds, to offer passengers discounts on meals and upgrades. PIA also owns three hotels, the Roosevelt Hotel, the Scribe Hotel and Skyrooms (Private) Limited. The airline also has an agreement with Pearl Continental Hotels for its UAEbased passengers. Achievements and recognitions PIA was the first Asian airline to receive the Boeing 737–300 First airline in the world to operate scheduled helicopter services. The first airline from an Asian land country and the first airline from a Muslim country to fly the Super Constellation. The first Asian airline to operate a jet aircraft. The first Asian airline to be granted maintenance approval by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Air Registration Board, predecessor of the British Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The first non-communist airline to fly to the People's Republic of China, and to operate a service between Asia and Europe via Moscow. The first airline in Asia to induct the new technology Boeing 737-300 aircraft. An IBM 1401, the first computer in Pakistan, was installed in PIA. The first airline to introduce a second route to People's Republic of China over the mighty Karakoram mountains. The first airline to show in-flight movies on international routes. PIA set up Pakistan's first planetarium at Karachi. The first airline in South Asia to introduce auto-ticketing facility. The first airline in the world to fly to Tashkent, capital of the newly independent state of Uzbekistan. First airline in the world to start Air Safari with jet aircraft. First Asian airline to start flights to Oslo. First airline in South Asia to offer the facility of seat reservation through mobile phone. First airline in Pakistan to operate a flight with an all female crew at command and in the cabin. PIA was given the first place award for the biggest volume increase in 2006, by Frankfurt Airport Authority. First airline in the world to induct and operate the Boeing 777-200ER, 777-200LR and 777-300ER together (all three variants available on the market). PIA was given three domestic awards in 2008: The "Brands of the Year" Award, "Consumers Choice Award" and "One The Best Airlines Award (Cargo)". PIA provided extensive support in the creation, development and management of Emirates, Singapore Airlines and Sri Lankan Airlines during their initial years of operation. PIA was awarded a shield by Presidency of Civil Aviation in Saudi Arabia in recognition of distinguished Passenger Services compared to other airlines conducting Hajj operations for the 3 consecutive years [2010 - 2012] among 74 international airlines operating from the Hajj terminal in that country at Jeddah Airport. Special operations Charter services PIA operates private charter flights using ATR 42s to Bhit, Kadanwari and Sawan Airport in Sindh as well as to other parts of the country on behalf of oil and gas companies. Ad hoc charters for United Nations peacekeeping troops are also carried out to Africa and Eastern Europe using Boeing 747s. Hajj and Umrah operations PIA operates a two-month (pre- and post-) Hajj operation each year to and from Jeddah and sometimes Madinah in Saudi Arabia. PIA transports over 130,000 intending pilgrims each year from Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Faisalabad, Multan, Sialkot, and Sukkur to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabiawith its fleet of Boeing 747-300 and Boeing 777-200ER. State officials transportation Callsign "PAKISTAN 001" carrying the President on PIA's Boeing 707 photographed in Germany, c.1961 PIA has been continuously serving government officials of Pakistan, and has always transported the President and Prime Minister on overseas visits. During the late 1990s, a PIA Boeing 737 300 was used for official visits by the Bhutto and Sharif governments. The aircraft wore official government colours but was later repainted in the airline official colours at the end of the decade. When the government changed after a military coup in 1999, the Boeing Boeing 737 was transferred to PIA permanently. The President and Prime Minister then resorted to using two of PIA's Airbus A310-300 for official visits, while rare trips were done on regular commercial flights of the airline. In February 2007 the government of Qatar gifted one of their VIP fleet A310 to the Pakistani government, this has ended the need for use of PIA aircraft. However, from time to time the government uses the airline's Boeing 737 or Airbus A310 for official trips. Incidents and accidents Since it began services, seven Pakistan International Airlines flights have crashed. PIA has a record of 5.00 fatalities per million flights. The memorial tablet placed at the crash site in Cairo for those who died on PIA Flight 705 on 20 May 1965. On 18 May 1959, Vickers Viscount AP-AJC was damaged beyond economic repair on landing at Islamabad International Airport. On 14 August 1959, Vickers Viscount AP-AJE crashed at Karachi International Airport while attempting an overshoot with two engines inoperative on a training flight. Two of the three people on board were killed. PIA Flight 705 was a Boeing 720 that crashed while descending to land on Runway 34 at Cairo International Airport on 20 May 1965 resulting in 119 fatalities. Flight 17 was a Sikorsky S-61 that crashed on 2 February 1966 on a scheduled domestic flight in East Pakistan with 23 killed and one survivor. On 20 January 1978, a PIA plane (while at Karachi) carrying 22 passengers was hijacked by a gunman and asked to be flown to India. The then chairman of PIA, Air Marshal (Retd) Nur Khan boarded the plane to negotiate with the hijacker. He was hit by a bullet while trying to disarm the hijacker but still managed to overpower him. PIA Flight 740 was a Boeing 707-340C that crashed after takeoff from Jeddah International Airport on 26 November 1979. Flight PK740 departed Jeddah at 01:29 for a flight to Karachi. PIA Flight 326 was hijacked on 2 March 1981 by three gunmen, and flown to Kabul. For almost two weeks, more than 100 passengers were held captive on the Boeing 720 until Pakistan released 55 prisoners. One passenger, Pakistani diplomat Tariq Rahim, was murdered during the ordeal. On 23 October 1986, a Fokker F-27 aircraft crashed during approach to Peshawar Airport. Of the 54 passengers and crew on board, 13 were killed in the accident. On 25 August 1989, a Fokker F-27 crashed into a mountain after taking off from Gilgit Airport. All 54 passengers and crew on board were killed. PIA Flight 268 was an Airbus A300B4-203, registration AP-BCP, which crashed on approach to Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport on 28 September 1992. All 167 on board were killed. PIA Flight 544 was the flight number of a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Fokker F27 that was hijacked on 25 May 1998. All passengers and crew escaped unhurt during the incident. PIA Flight 688 was a Fokker F27 was scheduled to operate from Multan to Lahore and then to Islamabad. At 12:05pm on 10 July 2006, it crashed into a field after bursting into flames a few minutes after takeoff from Multan International Airport. All 41 passengers and four crew members on board were killed. Hijack Date: March 02, 1981 Aircraft Type: Boeing 720-030B Registration: AP-AZP Crew: 9 on board  (Complete list of crew is at the bottom of this page) Passengers: 132 on board Number of hijackers: 3 Total on board: 144 Victims: 1 passenger Flight: Karachi - Peshawar Flight number: PK-326 Description: On March 2, 1981, Pakistan International's flight PK-326 began as a routine domestic hop from Karachi to Peshawar. In midair three heavily armed men seized the plane, diverted it to Kabul, Afghanistan, and demanded the release of 92 "political prisoners" from the Pakistani jails. On March 7, twenty nine hostages including women, children and sick men were released in Kabul. The Boeing 720B sat in Kabul for a week, and when Pakistan's President Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq refused to give in, the hijackers shot a Pakistani diplomat Tariq Rahim in full view of the other passengers and dumped his body onto the tarmac. Boeing 720-030B  (Abbas Ali Collection) Weapon in hand, a Pakistani gunman waves defiantly from cockpit of grounded AP-AZP at Syria's Damascus Airport  Next, on March 9, the plane flew to Damascus, Syria, and by the time ordeal ended there on March 14, more than 100 hostages had endured 13 days of tension and squalor. At that time it was the longest hijacking episode in the history. The gunmen repeatedly threatened to blow up the plane, but were talked into long extensions while negotiations continued by radio with Pakistani and Syrian officials in the Damascus control tower. Finally the hijackers said they would settle for just 55 prisoners - but they coupled the concession with a grim warning: they would soon kill the three Americans on board. "Be ready to pick up the bodies," they told the tower. Just twenty minutes before the deadline President Zia gave in, ordering that the prisoners be flown to sanctuary in Libya. "It's over," said Pakistani negotiator Sarfraz Khan. Boeing 720-030B  (Abbas Ali Collection) A ruthless hijacker gestures from hijacked PIA Boeing 720B (AP-AZP) at Damascus Airport in March of 1981 But it wasn't over. First, Pakistani authorities said they could not trace one of the 55 prisoners. And some of the others didn't want to leave Pakistan. Then, when a PIA Boeing 707 carrying the released prisoners was in the air approaching Tripoli, Libya suddenly announced that it had changed its mind about granting asylum to the hijackers and their friends. The prisoners' plane had nowhere to go, and the hostages' lives were again in jeopardy. Finally Syria announced that it would take in the prisoners and the hijackers, and the gunmen gave up. Aircraft's captain was the last person to come out of the plane freed by hijackers. The long flight was over. Boeing 707  (Abbas Ali Collection) Released Pakistani political prisoners seen coming out of a PIA Boeing 707. The Boeing 707 arrived in Aleppo, Syria, hours before hostages were freed at Damascus Airport A fresh PIA flight crew brought AP-AZP back to Pakistan from Damascus. The aircraft was withdrawn from use and retired in April of 1981. Later, it was put on display at Karachi's Jabees Funland in New Clifton where it became source of joy and happiness for young children. Few years later, it was removed from the park and sold to scrap metal dealers. Boeing 720-030B  (Abbas Ali Collection) AP-AZP on display at Karachi's Jabees Funland in New Clifton in 1980s 1985's Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) Heroism Award was presented to hijacked aircraft's Air Hostess Miss Naila Nazir for her brave handling of tense and dangerous situation during 13 days of hijacking ordeal. The FSF Heroism Award was established in 1968 to recognize civil aircraft crew members or ground personnel whose heroic actions exceeded the requirements of their jobs. Selection of FSF Heroism Award recipients is determined by the degree of personal risk involved in the heroic act; the nature of the courage, perseverance and other personal characteristics that were displayed; and the degree to which the heroism was outside normal levels of duty and ability. Crew members of hijacked PIA Boeing 720-030B (registration AP-AZP): Cockpit Crew: Captain Saeed Khan    First Officer Junaid Yunus  Flight Engineer Munawwar Cabin Crew: Flight Purser Javed Bhatti Flight Steward Shakeel Qadri Flight Steward Zaffar Ishtiaq Flight Steward Muhammad Feroze Maniar Air Hostess Naila Nazir  -  Recipient of the Flight Safety Foundation Heroism Award - Year 1985 Air Hostess Farzana Sharif - Freed by hijackers at Damascus Airport, Syria, on March 9, 1981 This page lists the civil airports, military airbases and small airports in Pakistan. There are an estimated 139 airfields in Pakistan. The largest airport in Pakistan is Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, which can handle 42 aircraft at a time and has 16 passenger gates. It handles 6 million passengers annually and has a capacity of handling 12 million passengers annually. In addition, the international airports at Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawarand Quetta are also major civil airports handling the majority of domestic and international civil aviation traffic in Pakistan. All civil airports in Pakistan are operated by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, with the exception of Sialkot International Airport, which is the first private airport in Pakistan andSouth Asia open to domestic and international civil aviation. It is owned and operated by theSialkot Chamber of Commerce & Industry. All military airbases in Pakistan are operated by the Pakistan Air Force, with the exception of Dhamial Army Aviation Airbase in Rawalpindiand Tarbela Army Aviation Airbase, which are operated by the Pakistan Army. List Aerial view of Pakistan's largest airportJinnah International Airport, in Karachi Benazir Bhutto International Airport, Islamabad Sheikh Rashid Terminal, Bahawalpur Airport Quetta International Airport Shaikh Zayed International Airport (Rahim Yar Khan) Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 Helicopter atSkardu Airport ICAO location identifiers are linked to each airport's Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP), where available. Airport names shown in bold indicate the airport has scheduled service on commercial airlines. City ICAO IATA Airport Name Usage Coordinates Civil Airports Abbottabad OPAB AAW Abbottabad Airport Public Bahawalpur OPBW BHV Bahawalpur Airport Public 29°20′53″N071°43′04″E Bannu OPBN BNP Bannu Airport Public 32°58′19″N070°31′29″E Chashma OP19 Chashma Airport Public 32°25′28″N071°27′30″E Chilas OPCL CHB Chilas Airport Public 35°25′37″N074°05′06″E Chitral OPCH CJL Chitral Airport Public 35°53′11″N071°48′02″E Dalbandin OPDB DBA Dalbandin Airport Public 28°52′30″N064°24′16″E Dera Ghazi Khan OPDG DEA Dera Ghazi Khan International Airport Public 29°57′39″N070°29′09″E Dera Ismail Khan OPDI DSK Dera Ismail Khan Airport Public 31°54′33″N070°53′47″E Faisalabad OPFA LYP Faisalabad International Airport Public 31°21′55″N072°59′44″E Gilgit OPGT GIL Gilgit Airport Public 35°55′08″N074°20′01″E Gujrat OPGJ GJT Gujrat Airport Private 32°34′00″N74°05′00″E Gwadar OPGD GWD Gwadar International Airport Public 25°13′59″N062°19′46″E Hyderabad OPKD HDD Hyderabad Airport Public 25°19′06″N068°22′00″E Islamabad /Rawalpindi OPRN ISB Benazir Bhutto International Airport / Chaklala Airbase Public / Military 33°36′59″N073°05′57″E Islamabad / Fateh Jang Islamabad Gandhara International Airport (under construction) Public 33°33′27″N72°50′54″E Islamkot Islamkot International Airport (under construction) Public Jacobabad OPJA JAG Jacobabad Airport / Jacobabad Airbase Public / Military 28°17′03″N068°26′59″E Jiwani OPJI JIW Jiwani Airport Public 25°04′04″N061°48′19″E Kadanwari KCF Kadanwari Airport Private 27°12′23″N069°09′23″E Karachi OPKC KHI Karachi Jinnah International Airport Public 24°54′24″N067°09′39″E Khuzdar OPKH KDD Khuzdar Airport Public 27°47′40″N066°38′25″E Lahore OPLA LHE Lahore Allama Iqbal International Airport Public 31°31′17″N074°24′09″E Lahore OPLH Walton Airport Public 31°29′41″N074°20′46″E Mangla OPMA XJM Mangla Airport Public / Military 33°03′00″N073°38′18″E Mohenjo-daro OPMJ MJD Moenjodaro Airport Public 27°20′07″N068°08′35″E Multan OPMT MUX Multan International Airport Public 30°12′12″N071°25′09″E Muzaffarabad OPMF MFG Muzaffarabad Airport Public 34°20′21″N073°30′31″E Nawabshah OPNH WNS Nawabshah Airport Public 26°13′10″N068°23′24″E Ormara OPOR ORW Ormara Airport Public 25°16′29″N064°35′10″E Panjgur OPPG PJG Panjgur Airport Public 26°57′17″N064°07′57″E Parachinar OPPC PAJ Parachinar Airport Public 33°54′10″N070°04′17″E Pasni City OPPI PSI Pasni Airport Public / Military 25°17′26″N063°20′43″E Peshawar OPPS PEW Peshawar Bacha Khan International Airport Public 33°59′38″N071°30′53″E Quetta OPQT UET Quetta International Airport Public 30°15′05″N066°56′16″E Rahim Yar Khan OPRK RYK Shaikh Zayed International Airport Public 28°23′02″N070°16′47″E Rawalakot OPRT RAZ Rawalakot Airport Public 33°50′59″N073°47′54″E Sialkot OPST SKT Sialkot International Airport Public 32°32′08″N074°21′50″E Sawan Gas Field OPSW RZS Sawan Airport Private 26°57′34″N068°52′26″E Saidu Sharif OPSS SDT Saidu Sharif Airport Public 34°48′48″N072°21′10″E Sehwan Sharif OPSN SYW Sehwan Sharif Airport Public 26°28′23″N067°43′02″E Sibi OPSB SBQ Sibi Airport Public 29°34′28″N067°50′35″E Sindhri OPMP MPD Sindhri Airport Public 25°40′58″N069°04′22″E Skardu OPSD KDU Skardu Airport Public / Military 35°20′08″N075°32′10″E Sui OPSU SUL Sui Airport Public 28°38′43″N069°10′37″E Sukkur OPSK SKZ Sukkur Airport Public 27°43′19″N068°47′30″E Tarbela Dam OPTA TLB Tarbela Dam Airport Public 33°59′10″N072°36′41″E Turbat OPTU TUK Turbat International Airport Public 25°59′11″N063°01′49″E Zhob OPZB PZH Zhob Airport Public 31°21′30″N069°27′49″E Military Airbases Chandhar OP1Y Chandhar Airbase Military Jacobabad OPJA JAG Jacobabad Airbase Military Jhelum Gurha Salim Airport Military 32°52′20″N73°36′00″ECoordinates: 32°52′20″N 73°36′00″E Kamra OPMS Minhas Airbase Military Karachi OPSF Faisal Airbase Military Karachi OPMR Masroor Airbase Military Kohat OPKT OHT Kohat Airbase Military Mianwali OPMI MWD Mianwali Airbase Military Murid Murid Airbase Military Peshawar Peshawar Airbase Military Qasim OPQS Dhamial Army Airbase Military Quetta Samungli Airbase Military Rahwali Rahwali Army Airfield Military Risalpur OPRS Risalpur Airbase Military Sargodha OPSR SGI Mushaf Airbase Military Shorkot OPRQ Rafiqui Airbase Military Sialkot Sialkot Cantonment Airport Military [edit]Major traffic flows by airport The following table provides details of the major traffic flows (by airport) in Pakistan in terms of passenger numbers, aircraft movements, cargo as well as mail during the year 2007. The results were collected by the Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan.[2] Airport Aircraft movements (Number) Passengers (Intl & Domestic) Cargo handled (M. Tons) Mail handled (M. Tons) Jinnah International Airport - Karachi 52,990 6,081,448 169,124 2,953.13 Benazir Bhutto International Airport - Islamabad 48,110 3,035,966 53,950 579.67 Allama Iqbal International Airport - Lahore 39,634 3,091,590 74,664 1,683.79 Bacha Khan International Airport - Peshawar 13,234 890,942 10,537 47.98 Quetta International Airport - Quetta 2,736 284,829 1,513 32.42 Multan International Airport - Multan 19,379 240,573 1,273 49.52 Gwadar International Airport - Gwadar 1,507 29,379 63 1.15 Faisalabad International Airport - Faisalabad 2,832 189,339 971 30.70