Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Travel

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Travel

Pakistan International Airlines (Urdu: پاکستان بین الاقوامی ہواپیمائی‎; abbreviated PIA, Urdu: پی‌آئی‌اے‎) is a Pakistani-International Airline and the national flag carrier of Pakistan under the administrative control of the Secretary to the Government of Pakistan for Aviation. Its central hub is Karachi's Jinnah International Airport, while Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, and Islamabad International Airport serve as secondary hubs.

PIA was founded on 29 October 1946 as Orient Airways, and was initially based in Calcutta, British India, before shifting operations to the newly independent state of Pakistan in 1947. Orient Airways was nationalised to form the Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (PIAC). The new airline commenced international services in 1955 to London, via Cairo and Rome. PIA became the first Asian airline to operate jet aircraft with the induction of the Boeing 707 into commercial service on 7 March 1960, and later in 1964 became the first non-Communist airline to fly to China. The airline played a vital role in the establishment of the Emirates airline in 1985. In 2004, PIA become the launch customer of the Boeing 777-200LR. On 10 November 2005 used the Boeing 777-200LR to complete the world's longest nonstop flight by a commercial airliner. This flight lasted 22 hours and 22 minutes on the eastbound route between Hong Kong and London.

PIA is Pakistan's largest airline and operates a fleet of more than 30 aircraft. The airline operates nearly 100 flights daily, servicing 18 domestic destinations and 25 international destinations across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America. 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 operates a frequent flier programme, PIA Awards +, and has several codeshare and interline agreements. However, it is not part of any airline alliance.

On 30 June 2020, PIA was banned from flying in European airspace for six months, starting on 1 July 2020, after EASA determined that the airline was not capable of certifying and overseeing its operators and aircraft in accordance with applicable international standards. This decision was made soon after it was revealed that at least a third of all pilot's licenses issued in Pakistan were fraudulent. By 9 July 2020, the airline was also banned by the United Kingdom and the United States.