Summary PIA has received tenders of eight new Boeing 737-800 planes on Wednesday.
AHORE:-PIA has received tenders of 8 new Boeing 737-800 planes which will be inducted in national airlines fleet during March, 2013.
According to reports, PIA team led by Managing Director Junaid Younis received lease tenders of eight new Boeing 737-800 planes from the respective Boeing manufacturing company. These planes will be supplied by the concerned company by March 2013.
Following the induction of these Boeing planes, three old Boeing 737-300 and five airbuses A-310 will be grounded and sold out. The new Boeing planes will be flown on Dubai, Muscat, Doha, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Kabul, Mumbai and New Delhi routes as National Air Lines is locked in tough competition on these routes with international as well as local airlines including Shaheen and Air Blue.
PIA has lost innumerable passengers on these routes due to usage of old planes. The induction process of these Boeing planes in its fleet has been delayed by one year due to the ineptness of former management of PIA. Overlooking PEPRA rules by previous management in invitation of tenders with respect of supply of these Boeings on lease was the root cause behind the inordinate delay.
Amnesty International had also challenged in Supreme Court through writ petition the tenders invited by the previous management; therefore, the supply of new Boeing was delayed by one year.
The national airlines had to suffer loss ranging between Rs 35 to Rs 40 billion against fuel expenses in one year due to delay in induction of these planes in its fleet.
