AirBlue to increase Dubai flights

[Abbas Ali]

KARACHI: AirBlue Limited, Pakistan's new generation airline, has planned to expand international operations by introducing flights from northern Pakistan to Dubai from November 27.

AirBlue, which has introduced e-tickets in Pakistan, has approved 35 frequencies to Dubai following Government of Pakistan's landmark decision to deregulate the aviation sector.

The airline by late November will be operating 28 flights to Dubai from different points in Pakistan.

The new schedule includes daily flights from Lahore to Dubai, four flights a week from Peshawar to Dubai and three flights a week from Islamabad to Dubai by the end of this month.

The addition of these flights will take the total to 56 weekly flights between Pakistan and Dubai.

Source: The News

[Kashif]

I think it is great that it will be daily. I really miss daily flights to PAK. I'm fed up with 2x or 3x flights that PIA does around the world. Lets hope Airblue also increase PEW and ISB to daily

[Amaad Lone]

Is Air Blue expanding its total flights to Dubai from 14 to 28 per week, at the expense of domestic flights???

To cover a schedule of 28 weekly flights to Dubai, Air Blue needs atleast two A320s.

That leaves one A320 for the domestic flights, hardly enough to cover 3 daily to Lahore, two to Islamabad and one to Peshawar.

Is Air Blue getting atleast one extra A320 this month to help in the Dubai expansion.

Amaad

[B777240ER]

I think ED's DXB flights are most likely to start in Jan.

But what is strange, the timetable is showing daily non-stop LHE/ISB/PEW-DXB only for January.

[behramjee]

i read on this forum 2 months ago that to fuel the DXB expansion, ED is wet leasing in 2-3 B 737-400s from an Eastern European carrier such as Ukraine. Has this deal with them being confirmed?

[AirBlue]

no..they are gettin a B737-800 (not with winglets i guess)....from a turkish carrier, not sure which one....and its wet leased for about 3-4 months

[CoyBoy]

Yes DXB inaugural was with an Air Ukraine 734, Moin had made the announcement after finding out from his friend who works with ED.

[CoyBoy]

BTW why did they use the Ukraine aircraft for their first international's inagural?

[AirBlue]

the inaugral flight was indeed with that aircraft but ED is leasing this B738 for the additional flights they are having soon

[AP-BGL]

It means ED has got that plane (738)... Never saw that, what is the colour scheme it is wearing?

[AirBlue]

its joining the fleet in about a months time hopefully....not sure if it will be in the ED colours

[Falcon598]

What about those A320s and A330s that they were supposedly going to order??? I though ED was going to go with an all Airbus fleet since that would keep operational costs low.

[AirBlue]

they are ... but the aircraft they are leasing for now is that ... it is on wet lease....the A320's and A330's are getting delayed for some reason and im not sure till when but for now it is till summer 2006

[Abbas Ali]

no..they are gettin a B737-800 (not with winglets i guess)....from a turkish carrier, not sure which one....and its wet leased for about 3-4 months

Yes, that's now confirmed, the aircraft is a Boeing 737-800 on a 4-month lease for services out of KHI effective 27/11/05.

Does anyone know the airline from which AirBlue is leasing this 737?

[AirBlue]

not sure about the airline but some turkish carrier....and btw....the Air Ukrain B734 was never leased....dad just told me any source to confirm that they got it ?