Any updates on Gla Lhe flights restarting in the near future?Ashfaq

Petition for Air Links to be Restored

By STEWART PATERSON

18 Nov 2011

A CAMPAIGN has been launched to restore direct flights between Glasgow and its twin city of Lahore in Pakistan almost one year after they were scrapped.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) pulled out of the route between Glasgow Airport and Lahore in January this year, amid concerns about viability and the lack of planes to service the routes.


Glasgow has been twinned with the Pakistani city of Lahore since 2006

Now Labour MSP for Glasgow Hanzala Malik is organising a petition to persuade the Pakistan Government and the airline to reinstate the route.

Source: www.eveningtimes.co.uk

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thats funny...they cant lobby their own British based airlines but feel that they should do it to PIA Being an MSP they should try their own airlines as well...

You are 100% right - however, in this instance I don't think your comment is valid as, the point is that the MP is aiming to get the petition signed so 'PIA' can re-start services from Scotland, a much needed link, and rather than be critical, we should praise the person for at least trying - optimism these days just seems not to exist - baffling!

I never said that they should not lobby PIA, or did I? All I suggested was for them to lobby their own airlines "AS WELL"...I agree that PIA should start that service IF it makes them money but if its loss making route then not. I dont know, what were the figutrs from the past operations.

PIA was suffering losses on Glasgow route according to statement made by Chairman PIA Chaudhry Ahmed during a National Assembly session few months ago.

Mr. Mukhtar said that PIA already is operating flights to British airports of London, Leeds-Bradford, Birmingham and Manchester. PIA flights to/from these airports are options available to people from Glasgow.

He also said that PIA cannot operate loss making flights just to meet ‘door-to-door’ service demanded by people of a city. Meaning it's not possible for PIA to operate loss making service between Glasgow and Pakistan.

Abbas

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Scottish petition for Pakistan flights

Tuesday 13 December 2011

THE government of Pakistan has been sent a 3,000-name petition urging it to reinstate direct flights to Scotland.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), whose majority shareholder is the Pakistan government, stopped direct flights between Glasgow and Lahore in January.

Since the direct route ended, passengers have had to fly from London or Manchester, adding time and expense to the journey.

Glasgow Labour MSP Hanzala Malik led a delegation to the Pakistan consulate yesterday to deliver a petition calling for the flights to be reinstated.

He said that ending the direct flights had had a major impact on both economic and family links in Scotland and Pakistan.

“The fact that we managed to collect so many signatures in a three-week period shows how strongly people feel.”

Source: www.scotsman.com

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PIA on its official website has invited applications for cargo handling at airports of Manchester, Glasgow, Leeds-Bradford and Birmingham.

Not clear whether it indicates airline's plan to resume service for Glasgow or not.

Abbas

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Glasgow has re-appeared in list of cities served by PIA on airline's official website www.piac.com.pk.

However, Glasgow flights schedule is not displayed.

Abbas

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Glasgow is removed from cities list again on official PIA website.

Abbas

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There is no point in PK coming back to GLA now since EK is going double daily in June.

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Pia RoCkS

In your opinion, of course!

I believe Emirates serve a very different market to the one PIA would be serving. Even if Emirates were flying three times daily GLA-DXB on an A380 I believe there would still be room for a direct flight to Lahore.

In my opinion there is no substitute for a direct flight. Emirates might have a far superior product however when a direct flight is available, people will always chose that over a connection, no matter who the airlines in question are.

Correct me if I’m wrong but Emirates’ connections between Lahore and Glasgow are not great because of the flight schedule.

The last time PIA flew from Glasgow the route was well supported, contrary to popular belief. From memory the route was averaging a load factor in the high 70s, not bad!

I would welcome PIA back to Glasgow and I very much hope they re-instate this popular route.

I work for an airline as their Route Network Planning Manager and I can assure you that in spite of PIA having 70% S/F on its GLA flights, they were not profitable one bit. Please also note that Emirates's flights to GLA are not profitable as well at a "net profit" level. They are profitable at an operational profit level only!

Yes a direct flight might be well received but the volume is not there to warrant year round PIA A310 service on the GLA-LHE route at a decent yield.

Lastly, with regards to your point that "people will always chose a direct flight over a connection", can you please then justify why PIA suspended Houston and now once again Chicago? Also can you explain why PIA no longer operates to Athens, Rome along with being only 3 weekly to JFK. Direct flight or no direct flight, what matters most in this day and age for the ethnic VFR passenger is # 1 price, # 2 schedule flexibility, # 3 baggage allowance and # 4 product reliability !

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You might very well work for an airline but unless you work for Emirates as there Route Network Planning Manager then you are not going to have access to this type of information. Are you the Network Planning Manager for Emirates?

Emirates are going twice daily from Glasgow and are introducing a first class cabin on the flight. Business class is always full as it is. Profit, profit, profit!

With regards to PIA and how you say their GLA-LHE route was “not profitable one bit”. Firstly, what is your source for this? You’re claiming to have inside, private business sensitive information from two different companies. So are you the Route Network Planning Manager for Emirates or PIA?

Secondly; you state the GLA-LHE route was “not profitable one bit”. Are any of PIA’s routes?!

There are only two routes in Europe that Emirates makes a "net profit" i.e. LON and CDG thats it. Net Profit refers to incremental revenue over all variable/operational + direct fixed + indirect fixed costs.

I'm sure you are aware that Emirates and Qatar Airways as an "airline" do not make a net profit but as a "group of merged companies" they do which in EK's case is DNATA, Sky Cargo, DXB Airport and a few DXB hotels. Remember both airlines are in it not to make money but purely to boost the economy of their respective states which QR's CEO Mr Baker has also officially stated numerous times in interviews.

With regards to your first class comment on EK using F class cabin configured aircraft to GLA because it supposedly is high yield and most of all profitable bears no correlation because in order to give you a reality check, not a single long haul European route of Etihad and Qatar Airways make a net profit. Not a single one and fyi both operate first class on CDG/FRA/MUC/LHR flights...thats right even on LHR, both EY and QR do not make a net profit! I will also shock you by telling you that both EY and QR do not even make a net profit operating a single Indian route! Emirates however does make a net profit on certain Indian routes only (BOM/DEL/BLR/MAA) but not all (COK/AMD/CCU/CCJ/TRV/HYD).

And also before you say "then how did Etihad announce a net profit of US$ 14 million in 2011"? the answer to that question is simple, they were successful in hedging fuel and selling off key assets such as 4 A340-500s for US$ 240 million to Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.

Another dose of reality...THAI AIRWAYS and MALAYSIA AIRLINES do not make a net profit on any of their long haul routes to Europe, North America, Middle East and Australia. This is officially shown and proven in their annual financial reports available on their respective websites. There are very few airlines who make actual net profit flying long haul flights, those are LH, BA, SQ, CX, VS, NH, UA and AA.

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