AirSial gets nod to start international flights

First international flight is expected to take off in October this year; Airline secures licence to start flights for the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Iraq and Iran

Muzaffar Rizvi

Published: Sun 21 Aug 2022, 5:13 PM

Last updated: Sun 21 Aug 2022, 5:14 PM

AirSial has become the third private airline in Pakistan to start international flights as it secured licence to begin service for Gulf countries, Iraq and Iran, its top official says.

Fazal Jillani, chairman, AirSial, said the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority awarded an international licence to the airline and it will soon start flights to the Gulf countries.

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“The Civil Aviation Authority had issued a formal permit to AirSial airline. Now, we can start flights to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Iraq and Iran,” Jillani said at a grand ceremony in Sialkot to celebrate the rights to enter the international market.

The airline senior management receiving the licence to operate on international routes from Federal Minister for Aviation Khawaja Saad Rafique and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif.

On Thursday, the federal cabinet gave AirSial permission to launch its international flights.

“We are grateful to civil aviation for granting formal permission for international flights and we are striving to further improve the quality of airline service,” Jillani said while addressing the guests at the event.

The Sialkot-based AirSial, which is expected to launch its first international flight in early October, was required to have at least five airworthy aircraft, either to purchase or get them on dry leas, to begin flights on international routes. The airline will also have to ensure satisfactory operations on primary and socio-economic routes.

Air Sial was launched by the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry on 2020 to improve air travel. The airline, which initially served various domestic destinations from their operational hub at Jinnah International Airport, used a fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft.

— muzaffarrizvi@khaleejtimes.com