Revival of Malé Should Boast Karachi

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Amaad Lone
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Revival of Malé Should Boast Karachi

Post by Amaad Lone »

The Maldives has become an exotic, high quality holiday destination.

Among the Europeans, Japanese and Australians, Maldive island resorts are fast becoming the most popular holiday destination.

Why is PIA not cashing in on this amazing route only 3 hours non-stop flight from Karachi???

I feel traffic into Karachi can really increase should PIA offer decent connections to the Maldives from Karachi.

An early morning 4 am departure, landing at Malé around 7 am, clearing immigration and reaching the resorts by 9 am just in time for break fast, and a nice morning swim in the Indian ocean.

Sri Lankan Airlines operates a number of flights a day between Colombo and Malé, and is really cashing in on the tourism boom to this island paradise.

A decent connections and good fares out of Karachi (wait no longer then 3 hours) should pull in a decent amount of transit traffic back to Karachi.

PIA use to operate Karachi-Malé-Colombo-Karachi twice weekly A300 until the mid-1990s, but then stopped. Maybe this route should be revived, only this time it should operate atleast thrice a week A310-300 on the route.

PIA will have to do their homework before the Maldives launch, they do not want another failure after Nairobi and Bangkok.

A number of europeans use package tour operators to fly into the Maldives, and PIA marketing should approach these tour operators for business rather then rely on their own ticket offices.

The Maldives might just be what Karachi needs to revive its place in the PIA international network.
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behramjee
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Post by behramjee »

Why is PIA not cashing in on this amazing route only 3 hours non-stop flight from Karachi???
Because PIA is not a 6th freedom airline like EK-QR-EY-SQ.

Their business model doesnt recognize the need to cater to 6th freedom / transitting traffic unfortunately.

Plus why would anyone fly twice a week on PIA to MLE when EK-QR-UL offer multiple daily flights via their respective hubs from UK to MLE!!!

Just FYI...MLE-NRT and MLE-LHR are BIG $$$ profit making routes for UL who fly nonstop from MLE to both NRT and LHR.
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sadiqhassan
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Post by sadiqhassan »

Not only that, but MLE is a really expensive place to go on vacation. It might to close the Pakistan, but it isn't the most affordable place for a holiday. Thailand offers a similar experience but is much cheaper.

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Amaad Lone
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Post by Amaad Lone »

Plus why would anyone fly twice a week on PIA to MLE when EK-QR-UL offer multiple daily flights via their respective hubs from UK to MLE!!!
Dear Behramjee

That statement is true for almost every destination PIA flies to. Should PIA follow your advice, it would have to close down all international stations.

The point is the Maldives market is a premium market and growing every year. If Srilankan Airlines can fly multiple daily flights into Male, and feed it to their European flights via Colombo, then so can PIA.

Here is another suggestion.

Karachi-Male-Sydney. Thrice a week 777.

Fly Europeans into Male, and Australians from Male to Sydney. Plus PIA can cater to the growing traffic between Pakistan and Australia.

The flights that can feed tourists on the Male sector.

London-Karachi
Manchaster-Karachi
Paris-Frankfurt-Karachi
Amsterdam-Rome-Karachi
Oslo-Copenhagen-Karachi
Milan-Athens-Karachi

All atleast twice a week A310s.

The Male connection might just make Karachi a bit more viable station to orginate flights to Europe.
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sadiqhassan
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Post by sadiqhassan »

why would PK fly through MLE for Sydney flights though?
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Moin
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Post by Moin »

Because its on the way and because they can serve 2 destinations with one flight.
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Amaad Lone
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Post by Amaad Lone »

The fact that a number of Australians will start taking PIA to Male, making the route (both Male & Sydney) more lucrative for PIA.

And where the Australians will get off in Male, PIA will hopefully lift some europeans who will transit in Karachi for flights to London, Manchaster, Frankfurt, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam etc etc.

Thank you moin.

Some people have to be explained the most basic stuff.
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smarties
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Post by smarties »

SYD-MLE-KHI-LHR-KHI-MLE-SYD dedicated to one aircraft 4 times a week i think would work well on the 772ER.
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Post by Gulistan »

Amaad Lone wrote:The fact that a number of Australians will start taking PIA to Male, making the route (both Male & Sydney) more lucrative for PIA.

And where the Australians will get off in Male, PIA will hopefully lift some europeans who will transit in Karachi for flights to London, Manchaster, Frankfurt, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam etc etc.

Thank you moin.

Some people have to be explained the most basic stuff.
Its a good proposition, but for it to work PIA really needs to improve its image. Its not going to be a cheap flight onwards to Male and I can't see many Europeans paying £800 - 900 for the IF experience at the moment.
Incidently one of the PIA former chairmans cant recall his full name but surname was Abbassi, was talking abouth 5th & 6th freedom passengers back in the 1990's, its a shame nothing ever transpired on that.
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Post by Moin »

You must mean Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former PIA Chairman, now COO of Air Blue. No relation of mine, I swear :lol:
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AP-BGJ
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Post by AP-BGJ »

it can also be a.k abbasi as well who was chief of cricket board as well if i am not wrong
cheers :wink:
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