AirBlue to Get Two Airbus A340-300s on Lease from ILFC

[Hamad]

Great to hear that AirBlue will aquire A340
Could it be that they will operate Destinations to GB with A340.
On their Facebook site they wrote: "London Calling with Airblue via Manchester"
I just saw that airblue changed their Flight No Code / IATA from ED to PA.
For example Flight to Dubai is: PA410

By the side they just celebrated their 8 years Anniversary

[behramjee]

The smart thing for Airblue to do with 2 A343s is as follows:

a) Operate 4 weekly ISB-MAN nonstop flights

b) Operate 3 weekly ISB-JED + 4 weekly ISB-RUH nonstop flights

c) Operate 4 weekly LHE-JED + 3 weekly LHE-RUH nonstop flights

The all Y class concept and its economics is ideally suited for the above mentioned routings. They should not operate the A343s from KHI because the competition and yields from KHI are horrendous versus the more restrictive LHE/ISB market segments.

[Hamad]

yes I agree - British and Saudi Market could be the best possibilities for AirBlue

[malpensa26]

23JUN2012: AirBlue planning to add A340-300s and Dash 8-400s to expand network

AirBlue (PA, Karachi Quaid-e-Azam Jinnah International (KHI)) has announced plans to lease two ex-Turkish Airlines (TK, Istanbul Atatürk/Yesilköy International (IST)) A340-300s from September to increase the number of long-haul destinations served. It currently serves Manchester Ringway International (MAN) three times weekly from Islamabad Chaklala Benazir Bhutto International (ISB) with a stop at Istanbul Sabiha Gökcen International (SAW) using A319-100s. AirBlue is reportedly planning to operate flights to Manchester non-stop once the A340-300s arrive and serve additional destinations in Europe and South East Asia. In other news, it is considering adding several DHC-8-400s for regional routes in the North of Pakistan.


http://www.ch-aviation.ch/portal/news/1 ... nd-network

[cheetah]

AIRBLUE TO EXPAND ITS FLEET WITH TWO AIRBUS A340-300 AIRCRAFT


Airblue Chairman and CEO Mr. Tariq Chaudhary signing Airbus A340 agreement in Los Angeles ISLAMABAD - July 03, 2012 - Airblue, Pakistan's largest private airline announced today that it has completed an agreement to expand its fleet by leasing two A340-300 aircraft from Los Angeles based International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC).

"The addition of these two Airbus A340 aircraft to our current fleet of next generation A320 family aircraft is great news for Airblue; it is part of our expansion plan to service all our international markets. These aircraft will be deployed on our long-haul routes, allowing us to continue providing quality service while proudly representing Pakistan worldwide," said Tariq Chaudhary, Chairman and CEO of Airblue.

The aircraft, equipped with CFM engines, are scheduled for delivery in August of 2012.

[raihans]

at last the A340 deal is getting in to reality anxiously waiting for A340s in Airblue c/s

[umar744]

A340-200 and A340-300 maximum take off between 257,000kg to 278,000kg but reduce less than 245,000kg take off from ISB and LHE during hot weather high temparture but better A340-500 and A340-600 can maximum take off same 777-200LR because my friend PIA captain said reduced 320,000kg take off from ISB and LHE between May and October but maximum 347,000kg between November and April every year flight to YYZ. Hope good luck to AirBlue get A340-300 but wait for new ISB new airport coming soon no problem for maximum take off.

[Abbas Ali]

Photo of Airblue Chairman and CEO Mr. Tariq Chaudhary signing Airbus A340 agreement in Los Angeles.


Photo Source: airblue.com

Abbas

[raihans]

why no A340 model in Airblue livery during the agreement signing

Abbas, please change the topic title as it is confirmed through the Airblue press release.

[Abbas Ali]

^ Topic title edited accordingly.

Abbas

[Murad]

Tits and bits from Airblues Facebook Page regarding the leasing of aeroplanes.

"We are anxiously looking forward to welcome three new aircrafts in the #Airblue Pakistan fleet in the coming month. Inshallah in August we will be getting an Airbus A320, and September two A340-300s for our long Haul flights. The A320 would mainly serve as a reserve or backup plane to provide greater flexibility in our operation. It will also drastically improve the flight delays and other related issues"

Where did this new A320 come from?


Regarding a question about AVOD

"These are former Turkish planes so they will have state of the arts facilities also there are planing to expand the iPads.

[ahmedshaikhani]

How about AirBlue expanding there network on South East Asia, specially Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok ?

[Abbas Ali]

Tits and bits from Airblues Facebook Page regarding the leasing of aeroplanes.

"We are anxiously looking forward to welcome three new aircrafts in the #Airblue Pakistan fleet in the coming month. Inshallah in August we will be getting an Airbus A320, and September two A340-300s for our long Haul flights. The A320 would mainly serve as a reserve or backup plane to provide greater flexibility in our operation. It will also drastically improve the flight delays and other related issues"

Where did this new A320 come from?

The A320 I think is also coming from ILFC and apparently that's why there's A320 model in AirBlue livery in photo of agreement signed between AirBlue and ILFC.

Abbas

[hasan saleem]

Will these 2 leased be the ex Turkish ?

[Amaad Lone]

Great to see Air Blue getting back on its feet.

I think the A321 crash two years ago, plus the high cost of fuel really hurt the airline, and now with lower fuel prices, we can once again see Air Blue expanding.

I would love to see Air Blue expanding to routes like Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore out of Lahore or Islamabad.

Plus code share with Turkish Airlines out of Istanbul for Europe, UK and North America would really help Pakistanis and Air Blue.

A step in the right direction.