Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Chief Executive Officer Bernd Hildenbrand on Monday indicated that the national carrier is targeting to have a fleet of 60 aircraft by 2020.

Speaking at the event of Rotari Club Karachi, he said: "In addition to increasing domestic flights, the PIA is planning to increase its flights to Paris, New York, Kuala Lumpur, Jeddah, Beijing and Toronto, while starting new flights to Barcelona, Leipzig, Salalah and Bangkok."

"PIA is considering a separate dedicated unit for taking care of Hajj and Umrah operation," he added.

Hildenbrand also pointed out that this year the PIA transported around 52,000 passengers during Hajj with more than 95 per cent special Hajj flights going on or ahead of time.

The CEO of national flag carrier said, "Improvements are being made in every department to bring the national carrier in the top 100 airlines of the world."

He claimed, "PIA has attained a regularity of 99 per cent during the past few months, and its on-time performance has reached 85 per cent, which is second only to Saudi Airlines in the region."

"The PIA has recently launched a cellphone application in addition to making PIA available on Expedia and Travelocity for providing a better experience to the public," he added.

Follow Dawn Business on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook for insights on business, finance and tech from Pakistan and across the world.

Opinion

Editorial

Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.
Concerning measures
Updated 03 Nov, 2024

Concerning measures

The govt must seek political input and consensus on the changes it is seeking to make and be open about its intentions.
Short-lived relief?
03 Nov, 2024

Short-lived relief?

POLICYMAKERS must be jumping with joy. At the close of the first quarter of FY25, the budget posted a consolidated...
Brisk spread
03 Nov, 2024

Brisk spread

THE surge in polio cases has reached distressing levels with a tally of 45 last reported, after two cases emerged in...