Emirates Airline set to boost Flights to Pakistan

Emirates Airline said on Monday that it was strengthened its commitment to Pakistan by adding a fifth daily flights to Karachi and from the city of Karachi. 

Effective August 1, the airline will be operating to Jinnah International Airport in Karachi five times a day.

The Dubai carrier said the move reinforced its presence in the Pakistani landscape and provided passengers with "more flexibility and options" when travelling to the country's commercial hub.

It added that it planned further improvements to its services to Pakistan in the future.

"This is very exciting news for us as Karachi was the inaugural destination of Emirates when the airline began operations in 1985," said Badr Abbas, vice president Pakistan & Afghanistan, commenting on the development.

"Today we are proud to have announced a fifth daily flight to Karachi in a move to better serve our Pakistani passengers and strengthen the historic relationship between Pakistan and UAE.

"We hope to continue on this path by further expanding our services in Pakistan and are grateful to all the relevant government and aviation authorities for making this possible."

Karachi is known as the financial capital of Pakistan and the additional flight will also boost economic activity by providing increased cargo capacity for popular Pakistani exports to many destinations on Emirates' global network.

In the past six months, Emirates said it has experienced robust growth and increased its presence in Northern Pakistan by starting additional flights to Peshawar, Lahore and Islamabad.

Starting August, Emirates will be operating 54 weekly flights to and from four cities in Pakistan – Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar – of which two frequencies are subject to Government approval.

Etihad Airways finally turns a profit

For the first time in its eight-year history, Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates turned a profit: $14 million. The company’s operations in Pakistan for a big part of its financial success, accounting for between 10% and 12% of its global revenues.

“This is an historic day for the airline and an amazing achievement for an airline just eight years old. Five years ago, we said we would be profitable by 2011,” said James Hogan, President and CEO of Etihad Airways at a press conference in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

Etihad is the third largest global airline in Pakistan, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), bested only by UAE rival Emirates and Saudi Arabian Airlines. Meanwhile, Pakistan is one of the top ten revenue generating countries for Etihad.

“The annual growth rate of Pakistani passengers for Etihad Airways is in double-digits,” said Amer Khan, the airline’s general manager for Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.

Etihad operates 23 flights every week from Pakistan to Abu Dhabi, with daily flights from Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad and two flights a week from Peshawar. This is the maximum number of flights currently allowed to the airline by the government of Pakistan.

It is unclear whether the airline will be requesting permission for more flights from Pakistan over the coming year, though officials at Etihad suggested that Pakistani routes are amongst the airline’s highly profitable ones. Many Pakistanis use Etihad to travel to Europe and North America, via Abu Dhabi. In addition, the large Pakistani expatriate population in the UAE also travel frequently on Etihad.

Etihad flew 8.3 million passengers in 2011, up 17% from the previous year. The airline is now targeting reaching 10 million passengers, according to its CEO.