Pakistan International Airlines (Urdu: پاکستان انٹرنیشنل ایئر لائنز) commonly referred to by the abbreviation PIA (Urdu: پیآئیاے) is the national flag carrier of Pakistan. Its main hub is Karachi while Lahore and Islamabad serve as secondary hubs.
The airline was founded on 29 October 1946 as Orient Airways, initially based in Calcutta, India, before shifting operations to the newly independent state of Pakistan in 1947. The airline was nationalized in 1961, and renamed Pakistan International Airlines. The airline commenced international services in 1955 to London, via Cairo and Rome.PIA was one of the first Asian airlines to fly the Lockheed Super Constellation, and was the first non-communist airline to fly to China. PIA was the second Asian airline to acquire jet aircraft by inducting a Boeing 707. In 2004, PIA became the launch customer of the Boeing 777-200LR. Since 2016, PIA has been slated for privatization to shift management to the private sector.
PIA is Pakistan's largest airline, and operates a fleet of more than 30 aircraft. The airline operates scheduled services to 22 domestic destinations and 28 international destinations across Asia, Europe, Middle East and North America. It operates nearly 100 flights daily.
The airline employed nearly 14,000 people in 2015, and has overall punctuality of 88%. In addition to commercial flight operations, PIA also owns The Roosevelt Hotel in New York City, and the Sofitel Paris Scribe Hotel in Paris.
The airline's slogan was "Great People to Fly With", and it was given to the airline by Omar Qureishi and was once endorsed by former first lady of the United States, Jacqueline Kennedy after a flight in 1962 when she hugged the pilot and said "Great People to Fly With", in an expression of a great flying experience
The airline was founded on 29 October 1946 as Orient Airways, initially based in Calcutta, India, before shifting operations to the newly independent state of Pakistan in 1947. The airline was nationalized in 1961, and renamed Pakistan International Airlines. The airline commenced international services in 1955 to London, via Cairo and Rome.PIA was one of the first Asian airlines to fly the Lockheed Super Constellation, and was the first non-communist airline to fly to China. PIA was the second Asian airline to acquire jet aircraft by inducting a Boeing 707. In 2004, PIA became the launch customer of the Boeing 777-200LR. Since 2016, PIA has been slated for privatization to shift management to the private sector.
PIA is Pakistan's largest airline, and operates a fleet of more than 30 aircraft. The airline operates scheduled services to 22 domestic destinations and 28 international destinations across Asia, Europe, Middle East and North America. It operates nearly 100 flights daily.
The airline employed nearly 14,000 people in 2015, and has overall punctuality of 88%. In addition to commercial flight operations, PIA also owns The Roosevelt Hotel in New York City, and the Sofitel Paris Scribe Hotel in Paris.
The airline's slogan was "Great People to Fly With", and it was given to the airline by Omar Qureishi and was once endorsed by former first lady of the United States, Jacqueline Kennedy after a flight in 1962 when she hugged the pilot and said "Great People to Fly With", in an expression of a great flying experience