Four New Private Airlines Apply for License in Pakistan

Four new private airlines operators have applied for the issuance of the Regular Public Transport (RPT) Airline Licence to Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority.

The names of these operators are:

  • Askari Air Pakistan
  • United Airways Pakistan Limited (Air Pakistan)
  • Liberty Air
  • Afeef Zara Airways

Aviation Division revealed that issuance of licences to the private airlines in the country is an ongoing process. Any private airline in the country can apply for the licence.

The applications for the RPT Licences are processed in accordance with Civil Aviation Rules (CARs) 1994 and National Aviation Policy (NAP)-2015 for consideration of the competent authority.

The Division has recently issued RPT licence to M/s Air Sial Limited on 5th September 2017 to conduct RPT operations in Pakistan.

The lawmakers in Senate raised several questions as they were skeptical that the Askari Air Pakistan – venture may be undertaken by Fauji Foundation.

The lawmakers kept asking whether the airlines belonged to Fauji Foundation – one of the largest financial services and one of the largest energy conglomerates with interests in fertilizer, cement, food, power generation, gas exploration, LPG marketing and distribution, financial services, employment services, and security services.

But the minister for parliamentary affairs Sheikh Aftab had no idea whether the airlines belonged to Fauji Foundation or someone else. He assured the house said that he would inform the house after consulting the concerned department which had issued the license.

“I don’t know whether it belonged to the Fauji Foundation but I do know it is a private airline,” he added

Col (retd) Syed Tahir Mashhadi said that most of the businesses run by Fauji Foundation are being run through the title of Askari, and most probably the airlines also belongs to the same organization that is run by former officers of armed forces.

In reply to a question asked by PPP Senator Dr Karim Khawaja the minister it transpired that four private airlines had applied for licences to operate in the country.

Senator Farhatullah Babar who asked whether the Askari Air Pakistan was owned by the same outfit about which the Senate had been informed last year that it owned over fifty industrial, commercial, business and real estate enterprises throughout the country.

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Shaikh Aftab who was replying on behalf of the Minister for Aviation said that he was unaware as to who owned but said that he will find out and revert to the House.

However, he said that licenses are processed in accordance with the Civil Aviation rules and the National Aviation Policy and that recently it had given license to Air Sial Limited last month to conduct operations in Pakistan.


  • Present aviation infrastructure at some locations can not accommodate passenger, aircraft, baggage and car parking load. Pehlay expansion honey chahiyay

  • Askari Air is the project of Pakistan Army. But it will be registered as a Private Entity just like DHA. Unfortunately the money that is given to them for defense purposes are used for Businesses purposes by our Army. It is very sad indeed.
    I hope someone will tell our Generals to concentrate on defence only and leave the businesses to the Civilians.

    • first of all they are all private run by retired army personnel which are only about 40% rest are civilians so correct your facts these companies make about 30- 40 bn dollars of our total GDP

      • The Army Welfare Trust and Fauji foundation is getting more than 30 Billion Rupees from the Federal Government on an annual basis. The retired Army Officers are becoming billionaires on the money of Pakistanis.
        Also 30-40 Billion of GDP do not belong to Army but to Pakistanis as the money to establish those companies came from the Defence and AWT funding.
        Also the so called Civilians in those companies are the Sons and daughters of the same Army officers who are running those companies.

        Pakistan Army is right now the biggest Armed and Business Mafia of Pakistan.

        • annually receive 30 billion rs from govt what ?where do you get that information
          $ 30-40 billion goes to our gdp not army’s
          my father is a contracter in fauji fertilizers for local manufacturing of machinery parts and we don’t have any army background the manager of that department is a normal civilian and also don’t have any military background many workers, labors are from civilians don’t have any military background
          there are some corrupt people in those organizations and some are from army but they steal from their company not from ours pocket

          you know who is biggest mafia in pakistan zardari 35 bn net worth and nawaz sharif a single son have 4-6 companies abroad

          • Your father is in fauji foundation. There is no need to discuss anything with you. You have business interests there.
            Billions of US Dollars have been poured in Fauji Foundation for the last 60 years and all that money came from the tax payers pocket.

            Also Nawaz Sharif was a Billionaire before joining the politics. Unlike Army Officers who become billionaires after joining the army.

            • Also Nawaz Sharif was a Billionaire before joining the politics.

              muhahahaha heheheh haahahahahahah, where do you get your facts, from maryam nawaz media cell. i can’t stop laughing now, after this.

          • They are flush with American dollars. If it was anyother country, poverty, polio would have been eradicated.

          • Where did all the American dollars go? War on terror? Conning America is one thing. But connig our own people, disgusting. ARMY IS NOT ABOVE THE LAW.

    • So you are saying that the defense budget allocated for Pakistan Army has been used in this Askari Air private airline? How do you know?

      Hmm …

      • dude he watch many indian channels. army total budget is about $8.5 bn and have 6 or 7 strongest army in every aspect(from man power to number of quality tanks to weapons to air force to navy) and also support disabled personnel and widows ,pensioners . do you really think they will have enough money left to build airlines or setup multi billions dollars factories ? let me give you an example british army have about more budget then budget of our country they also collect charity from people for their disabled soldiers where pakistan army don’t collect any charity they support them from their own budget

        • Thanks for calling me an Indian. You just commented that your father is in Army. So you will vehemently defend your Father’s interests and the interests of Fauji Foundation mafia.

          It is sad that anyone who will point out any corruption in Army is tagged as Indian. You have more right to be a Pakistani or what?.
          Who gave you the right to distribute certificates of Patriotism to me?.

          • Army is just becoming another political party. Raise your voice or ask some tough questions, “supporters” and “patriots” jump across defending. Wrong is wrong no matter what, where and by whom. Mark my words, there should be a regulatory body formed by civilians to monitor army.

          • ok idiot how many time i have to say i have no background with the army

            i didn’t say you are an indian but you watch indian channels or a supporter of nawaz shareef which we can assume form your previous posts

        • The Pensioner Budget of More than 50 billion Rupees comes from the Federal Government, not from Fauji Foundation. That is apart from the Army’s budget.
          Also It is apart from the Fauji Foundation funding that Federal government pays.
          So Fauji Foundation is not paying any pensions for your information. Also for your information the Defence Production Budget is separate from the Fauji Foundation.
          Fauji foundation does not produce any weapons of any kind. Wah Ordinance is a separate entity and Pakistan Army gets another 100 Billion Rupees for weapons production as well.

          • you are confused in your own statements
            first you are saying the budget army receives the corrupt generals etc etc use that money to built multi billion dollars companies then saying they receive money apart form army budget from govt to setup those factories ?? and still have enough money left that they setup 7 strongest force in the world in every aspects have enough money left from budget to support pensioners,widows,disabled personnels ,family from a budget of 8.5 bn but UK army with budget of 58 bn can’t support disabled personnels ,family of a dead soldier?????? look at india 53 bn army budget but almost every soldiers crying about late to no salary ,poor quality food , out dated weaponry ,still don’t have quality helmets and no pensions while comparing reserved and active troops they are not even 2x the size of pakistan army but still have a budget of 5x-6x then pak army

        • Please quote your source and it’s authenticity. Blaming every one who raises questions against army as “Indian” (read traitor) is a bad precedent. You cannot question another’s patriotism nor you can certify another as a patriot. Your attitude just reflects the way army behaves (if you truly are related to army as you claim).

          • any one who raise questioned against army is not a traitor but any one with no information about any thing spreading false propaganda is literally an idiot or a indian or nawaz supporter which he himself claim in his previous posts
            i didn’t assume him as a indian i said he watch many indain channel which are famous for spreading propaganda
            i never claim i have any army background

            • Do you have access to “classified” information regarding this, please divulge. As I see, army’s actions are prone to skepticism. I just ask what is wrong with this? I as a citizen of this country, have every right to question any establishment that belongs to my country. Shutting down queries pertaining to one’s own country doesn’t augur well.

        • Charity? Source please. (not fabricated false propaganda source. Authentic, impartial and neutral source) can you provide these for your claims?

            • Right. You expect sensitive information such as defence budget and expenditures to be accessible through a popular search engine and also to be authentic 100%. I rest my case.

    • This is serious, if true. There is a sense that we are getting blind in patriotism and our pride in the army. Tough scrutiny is required of the army. Thanks for sharing the info. By seeing other comments, they are, as I said are blind.

  • They should also announce a formal political party with name Askary to legitimize politics. :)

  • What the reason You showing PIA fleet Listen InshaAllah whenever sincere person of Pakistan come in power PIA wil ranked top 3 in world InshaAllah


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