Pakistan International Airlines is urgently seeking to wet-lease widebody aircraft so it can resume services to several destinations in Europe, writes Leithen Francis.
A source in the airline's corporate planning department says PIA is seeking to immediately wet-lease two widebodies and says the carrier will consider Airbus A300-600s, A310-300s, A330s and Boeing 767s. It wants the aircraft to be in two-class configurations on three-month leases that can be extended, adds the source.
Currently PIA is operating long-haul services using its fleet of eight Boeing 777s and one wet-leased A310.
PIA is urgently seeking widebodies because in March the European Union, in response to safety concerns, banned most of the carrier's aircraft from landing in Europe. The airline is permitted to operate to Europe using only its 777s and not its other long-range aircraft.
According to the airline's booking engine it appears to have halved the frequency of services to Paris and suspended Athens, Milan and Rome flights.
Source: Flight International
