Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) management has decided to replace six Airbus 320s with the new narrow-body aircraft as their lease expires early next year.
The national airline had decided, in principle, to terminate the lease of these aircraft which will expire in March next year. They will be replaced with eight narrow-body aircraft up to ‘2012-vintage, or up to the aircraft’s first 12-year check’.
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The PIA spokesperson, Abdullah Hafeez, said on Wednesday that the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PIA, Air Marshal Arshad Malik, has approved the acquisition of a new six-year lease for eight narrow-body planes. The first of the lot will be delivered by March next year, while all eight aircraft will arrive in Pakistan by December 2021.
Last month, an eleven-member team under the supervision of Syed Majid Humail from the Department of Engineering and Maintenance carried out a detailed inspection of the leased aircraft. The committee has presented its report to the management, giving the go-ahead for termination of the lease.
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The spokesperson said that the airline had issued a tender notice seeking eight narrow-bodies configured with 170 seats in an all-economy layout.
He remarked that the arrival of the new Airbus 320 and Boeing737 aircraft will help the flag carrier grow and that the acquisition could have transpired earlier but had to be postponed due to the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic.
