How soon can Pakistan’s new airline – Fly Jinnah – launch flights to UAE?

  • Date: 03-Jun-2022
  • Source: Gulf News
  • Sector:Defense
  • Country:UAE
  • Who else needs to know?

How soon can Pakistan’s new airline – Fly Jinnah – launch flights to UAE?

Dubai: Fly Jinnah, Air Arabia’s joint venture in Pakistan, is scheduled to take to the skies by end of this month, but it might be a while before the low-cost carrier goes international as it is bound by several local regulations. “To get an international license under the same name, an airline needs to have 2-3 years of domestic experience and at least five aircraft,” said an official from Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). “But this requirement may be waived off on the basis of the airline’s performance.” If Fly Jinnah starts UAE flights, it would give another option to the more than 1 million strong Pakistani expat population in the Gulf country. In 2021, Pakistan was the number two destination from Dubai International (DXB) with 1.8 million passengers. The launch of a UAE route would also immediately pit it against rivals such as Airblue and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). “It is a very busy route, and the capacity is definitely required, but I don’t think it would be possible to drop the prices even lower than some of the other carriers,” said a Dubai-based travel agent. “Some of the regular players are also increasing capacity.” PIA and Airblue are