Shaheen Air to Suspend Manchester Flights

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Abbas Ali
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Shaheen Air to Suspend Manchester Flights

Post by Abbas Ali »

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According to 24 News channel:

From February 15 Shaheen Air is suspending its flights operated between Islamabad and Manchester.

Last week frequency of flights on this route was reduced by the airline.

On January 3, a Shaheen Air Airbus A330-200 was stranded in Manchester for four days due to some technical problem in the aircraft.

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pk363
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Re: Shaheen Air to Suspend Manchester Flights

Post by pk363 »

And look what Amaad Lone predicted for future on this thread \:D/

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=25188
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Vaqar Khan
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Re: Shaheen Air to Suspend Manchester Flights

Post by Vaqar Khan »

pk363 wrote: Wed Feb 01, 2017 5:14 pm And look what Amaad Lone predicted for future on this thread \:D/
Strange remarks! That is all you could think of when you read this news? Shaheen is entitled to re-think its strategy as to what suits it best. The main problem all Pakistani airlines face in the UK is lack of options in terms of frequency and direct flights to major cities in Pakistan.
Last edited by Vaqar Khan on Wed Feb 01, 2017 9:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Ammar
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Re: Shaheen Air to Suspend Manchester Flights

Post by Ammar »

Glad to see people don't prefer low-cost carriers with poor standards and deplorable safety records, and have enough sense to fly full-service airlines like the ME3 and PIA.
This is, in fact, a sign for Serene Air too, to beware of how they operate. PIA has a monopoly on international routes, and ME3 suck up any remaining passengers leaving other airlines searching for destinations. Perhaps they'll stop copying their predecessors now.
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JayeHussain
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Re: Shaheen Air to Suspend Manchester Flights

Post by JayeHussain »

I made a reservation on this flight in March for a family member. I booked directly through Shaheen Airlines website & now we are unable to view the booking online nor is their contact centre picking up. What atrocious service.
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Re: Shaheen Air to Suspend Manchester Flights

Post by adamalikhan »

Ammar wrote: Wed Feb 01, 2017 6:27 pm Glad to see people don't prefer low-cost carriers with poor standards and deplorable safety records, and have enough sense to fly full-service airlines like the ME3 and PIA.
Shaheen Air offered an excellent service on this route. I guess you have never flown with them so probably are not in a position to comment. I agree Shaheen has had a few near misses but it is the only airline in Pakistan not have had a fatal crash.

The pound has devalued substantially. A year a go 1GBP was worth around 155PKR, today it is hovering around 125-130. The ticket costs and other expenses have remained the same. I am not privy to the reasons for suspending this route, however it probably is not profitable enough and therefore resulting in suspension.

PIA regardless of suffering losses gets big cash injections from the government. Shaheen does not get the same so has to try new routes and if they are not profitable, has to take such unfortunate actions. It's a real disappointment for the customers who will once again not have competitive fares and will have no choice but to travel with PIA if they want a direct flight.

Ammar if you think pax choose PIA over Shaheen on this route because they are a full service airline then you are in a bubble which has no idea of the poor service from PIA and their poor safety record.

@Jaye Hussain - contact the Manchester office or get yourself down there as I guess the line will be constantly busy
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Re: Shaheen Air to Suspend Manchester Flights

Post by Amaad Lone »

And look what Amaad Lone predicted for future on this thread \:D/
Thank you PK363 I did not realize I have such a fan following on this forum. I am flattered.

Yes Shaheen is shutting down or suspending flights to UK but look at the shut down PIA has gone through in the last ten years.

Half of its international stations have been shut, and this with over 160 billion in government handouts.

How much money has the government given Shaheen or Air Blue in the last ten years????????????????????????????????????????
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pk363
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Re: Shaheen Air to Suspend Manchester Flights

Post by pk363 »

Amaad Lone wrote: Thu Feb 02, 2017 7:09 am
And look what Amaad Lone predicted for future on this thread \:D/
Thank you PK363 I did not realize I have such a fan following on this forum. I am flattered.

Yes Shaheen is shutting down or suspending flights to UK but look at the shut down PIA has gone through in the last ten years.

Half of its international stations have been shut, and this with over 160 billion in government handouts.

How much money has the government given Shaheen or Air Blue in the last ten years????????????????????????????????????????
You are welcome Amaad, trust me you along with tailwind, raihans, smhussain and a few others are my favorite posters in these forums and I always read your posts seriously and with keen interest. If I don't agree with some of your opinions doesn't imply at all that Ii don't respect the opinion.

Coming back to the topic, my point is that if an airline is not able to sustain a single long haul international route how can we expect them to take over the full international network of our national carrier spread over three continents.
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Re: Shaheen Air to Suspend Manchester Flights

Post by uzkt01 »

With too much capacity provided at lower prices by middle eastern airlines, no wonder Pakistani airlines are struggling to be profitable. Government needs to restrict foreign carriers to 1 daily flight. Airlines can prove to be national asset. Turkish/Ethiopian airlines along with private carriers contribute a large proportion to their respective national GDP . CAA earning just a few million bucks for additional frequencies by these airlines, while Pakistan is loosing alot in this regard. Difficult decisions should be taken.
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Re: Shaheen Air to Suspend Manchester Flights

Post by Amaad Lone »

The government needs to reduce taxes on airline.

First the taxation on employees is heavy while governments in the Middle East dont impose heavy taxes on airline employees, so the take home pay for the employees is better then Pakistan.

Second airline tickets are heavily taxed that has to be rationalized so ticket price can be lower and same amount of money goes to airline.

Taxes on fuel has to be reduced so airlines pay less for aviation fuel in Pakistan

Rather then giving bailouts to PIA its better to tax them less in the first place.
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Re: Shaheen Air to Suspend Manchester Flights

Post by faisal-777 »

Amaad Lone wrote: Thu Feb 02, 2017 10:45 am The government needs to reduce taxes on airline.

First the taxation on employees is heavy while governments in the Middle East dont impose heavy taxes on airline employees, so the take home pay for the employees is better then Pakistan.

Second airline tickets are heavily taxed that has to be rationalized so ticket price can be lower and same amount of money goes to airline.

Taxes on fuel has to be reduced so airlines pay less for aviation fuel in Pakistan

Rather then giving bailouts to PIA its better to tax them less in the first place.
I raised similar point in another thread that taxes are one of the reasons curbing the growth of other airlines and pakistani air traffic in general. Apparently some members disagreed that ME3 are also paying same taxes and in profit. However, you make an excellent point here so as to why it doesnt hurt ME3 at all. They get fuel at lower price, their employees have better take away due to near to zero taxes (this might change as it is rumored now arab countries are considering taxes, due to oil prices down).

We should not forget that Pakistani market is a price-driven market, be it a small consumer product or a service like an airline. Our decisions are made on the basis of what is cheaply available, and readily available. I do not understand why it is hard for people managing airlines in Pakistan to understand that a typical Pakistani passenger wants to save bucks, they dont care much about what you serve them onboard, IFE, new seats or how cabins look like. Yes for some people it might matter, but think of majority of people. They simply don't care. They want to reach their destination safe and in time, and most importantly, in lower bucks.
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Re: Shaheen Air to Suspend Manchester Flights

Post by shamxa »

A shame in truth, although maybe it might have been better to use as a seasonal flight in the summer, etc. when travel between the two areas is greater?

Also, whilst I cannot confirm or deny the quality of service, what wasn't great was that you couldn't connect to other cities in Pakistan (at least from what I could make from the airline) from Manchester. Maybe that could have helped increase some passenger numbers marginally?
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Re: Shaheen Air to Suspend Manchester Flights

Post by adamalikhan »

I was at Man Airport last night and noticed how AP-BMK was parked up remotely with engine no 1 covers open. This flight arrived as NL-901 from ISB on 31/01 and was scheduled to return as NL-902 on 01/02.

Pax from this flight were still at the airport yesterday. There appears to be some unknown issue with the aircraft.

NL901 and NL901 are scheduled flights for today. However with this aircraft held up in Manchester and the other A330s delayed on other flights will be interesting to see how events continue to unfold.
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Abbas Ali
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Re: Shaheen Air to Suspend Manchester Flights

Post by Abbas Ali »

Shaheen Air Airbus A330-203 registration AP-BMK with opened engine number 2 covers photographed at Manchester Airport on February 1.

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Shaheen A330 by Martyn Cartledge ASP Photography, on Flickr

AP-BMK arrived in Manchester on January 31 as flight NL-901 from Islamabad and since then has not returned to the skies.

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/ap-bmk

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adamalikhan
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Re: Shaheen Air to Suspend Manchester Flights

Post by adamalikhan »

Todays NL901 ISB to Man has been delayed until tomorrow 06:30