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AirBlue launches four flights on Lahore- Abu Dhabi route

ABU DHABI - Pakistan’s largest private airline AirBlue started its four-flights a week operation between Lahore and Abu Dhabi, yesterday to provide more travel options to 300,000 strong Pakistani community living in the emirate.

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AirBlue officials signalled that in line with huge demand there is a proposal to increase the frequency to a twice daily service, in the near future.

“By year end, we have plans to launch four flights each to Lahore, Peshawar from Abu Dhabi and three for Islamabad”, said Saroosh Bhatti general manager (marketing) AirbBlue, while speaking to reporters.

Similarly, three flights are planned from Al Ain to Peshawar early next year. With an estimated 300,000 Pakistani expatriates living in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi – around 50 per cent of the UAE’s total Pakistani community – AirBlue’s new routes will immediately benefit a significant population of workers and families in the country by offering greater options and benefits for travel between the two countries. Airline has inducted 145 seat A-319 last week for gulf operations exclusively. The air carrier, which has operations to Dubai, Manchester, will add Muscat and Kuwait from next month, while Delhi, Birmingham, will be launched by year and Kuala Lumpur, Oslo, and Copenhagen will be added on the network from early next year.

The full-service, air line has a fleet of eight aircraft including two A-319s, three A-320’s and three A321s, deliveries of whose will start by the year end.

It has placed order for 14 aircraft, with deliveries starting December this year. From Abu Dhabi, Air Blue will operate the service on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. In-bound flights will arrive in Abu Dhabi at 12:00hrs (13:00hrs after 1 September) and out-bound flights will depart at 13:00hrs (14:00hrs after 1 September). Average flight time is three hours.

At the welcome ceremony held at ADIA, Air Commodore Khawar Hussain, Defence Advisor Charge de affairs, at Pakistan Embassy Abu Dhabi, welcomed the arrival of AirBlue, and hoped it will provide more travel options to travellers.

Mohammed Al Bulooki, VP, airline marketing and aeronautical revenue, ADAC said that 40 airlines are operating from ADIA. “In line with the expansion and planning efforts, it is clear that an ever increasing number of commercial carriers are seeing the benefits of operating from the UAE capital and Emirate of Abu Dhabi,” he said.