KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has decided to get A330 aircraft this month from Turkish Airlines for its premier flights to London, days after the national flag carrier removed its logo from the Airbus 330 obtained from SriLankan Airlines.
According to a spokesperson, the airline has awarded a tender to Turkish Airlines through competitive bidding.
“It has agreed to provide the Airbus at a rental value that is 25% less than the rate at which aircraft was leased from SriLankan Airlines in mid-2016. Turkish Airlines would charge $6,000 per hour compared to $8,100 per hour by SriLankan Airlines,” said PIA Chief Financial Officer Nayyar Hayat.
Hayat said that PIA had acquired A330 on wet lease – aircraft with crew – from SriLankan Airlines for a period of six months.
However, the airline has decided to return the Airbus as the agreement ended in the first half of February 2017.
“We could not extend the agreement as per PPRA [Public Procurement Regulatory Authority] rules and that’s why a new tender was issued,” said Hayat.
PIA launched its premier services from Islamabad/Lahore to London on August 14, 2016 – the 69th Independence Day. These days, PIA is operating its premier flights with Boeing 777.
