Pakistan airlines - Past, present and the path forward.

Pakistan’s aviation story is anchored by its flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). Born out of Orient Airways in October 1946 and nationalized soon after independence in 1947. PIA grew into a full service carrier connecting Pakistan with the world and building a national aviation identity. Over decades it operated everything from short-haul Airbus and ATR turboprops to long-haul Boeing 777s, and played a role in regional aviation development.

Fleet and service today.
PIA’s fleet has been modernized and rationalized in recent years to focus long haul flying on its wide bodies and domestic/short haul on A320 family and ATR types. The airline has been through cycles of expansion and contraction driven by finances and regulatory pressures. In late 2024 the European ban that had restricted Pakistan’s national carrier was lifted, allowing PIA to resume direct European services , a development that both improves connectivity and creates revenue opportunities if sustained. Service quality remains mixed in public perception and mostly have low indicators, pockets of professionalism and pride sit alongside well documented operational and staffing challenges.

The domestic market and competing carriers.
The domestic market is now competitive and more diverse than a decade ago. Private players such as Airblue (launched in the mid 2000s) and newer entrants like SereneAir and AirSial have pushed frequencies, newer narrow body aircraft, and customer facing improvements, increasing capacity on trunk routes and feeding international services. Airblue has grown into one of the largest private carriers and focuses on Airbus A320/A321 neo aircraft for domestic and regional routes. AirSial and SereneAir have targeted underserved city pairs and niche demand, helping raise domestic seat capacity and options for travelers.

New entry - Air Karachi
Air Karachi is being talked about in industry posts and announcements as planning a launch of domestic operations on Pakistan Day (March 23, 2026) with an initial small A320 fleet, but as with all startup airline claims this is a provisional timeline and should be treated as a planned/announced date rather than a completed launch until regulators and schedules confirm it. New entrants often shift timings as certification, financing and aircraft deliveries settle.

Problems the sector faces.
Pakistan’s airlines face a mix of structural and operational challenges like high fuel and finance costs, an aging ground infrastructure at some airports, regulatory scrutiny following safety lapses in the past, labour disputes, and stiff competition from Gulf carriers that dominate connectivity for many Pakistani travelers. The over budgeted employees is biggest problem to run the airline in profit. 500 employees per aircraft is biggest in the world. Then political engineering in the sector creating more further problem. Recruiting on political bases, by taking robbery, influence rather than Merritt are other down falls. The legacy burden of subsidized routes, inefficient state ownership models (in PIA’s case) and occasional governance issues have also constrained long-term investment. Recent strikes and service disruptions underline the fragility of operational continuity when relations with technical staff or unions break down.

Future Outlook.
The future looks cautiously optimistic. Privatization or partial restructuring of state assets (where politically possible), better regulatory oversight, fleet renewal, and focused route strategies can make carriers leaner and more competitive. Growth in domestic air travel, airport investments, and niche tourism corridors (e.g., northern Pakistan) provide demand tailwinds. Success will depend on consistent safety compliance, improved labor relations, competitive pricing, and partnerships (codeshares, interlines) that plug Pakistan into global networks without routing every passenger through the Gulf hubs.

Conclusion.
Pakistan’s aviation ecosystem is no longer a monopoly era scene , a revived PIA, several private challengers, and prospective new entrants create more choices for passengers. But capital intensive aviation rewards scale, operational excellence and regulatory stability areas where Pakistan’s carriers must keep improving if they are to translate promise into sustained growth.

If PIA wants to grow, it should be free from unnecessary burden of employees, fuels, political engineering and older / out fashioned aircrafts. We can't conquer the mount everest by naked feet.

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Note: The article also published on my read.cash Wall.

Cheers,
Amjad
Tangled| Wurk