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Airblue

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Airblue
File:A340-400.jpg
IATA ICAO Callsign
ED ABQ AIRBLUE
Founded2003
HubsJinnah International Airport
Focus citiesAllama Iqbal International Airport
Benazir Bhutto International Airport
Dubai International Airport
Frequent-flyer programBlue Miles
Fleet size7
Destinations12
HeadquartersIslamabad, Pakistan
Key peopleShahid Khaqan Abbasi
Websitewww.airblue.com

Airblue Limited (styled as airblue) is a private airline with its head office in the ISE Towers in Islamabad, Pakistan.[2] It is Pakistan's second largest airline with over 30% share of the domestic market.[3] Airblue operates scheduled flights operating 30 daily services linking four domestic destinations and international services to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Muscat and Manchester. It carried 1.4 million passengers on domestic flights in the 2006-07 fiscal year.[3] Its main base is Jinnah International Airport, Karachi.


History

The airline was established in 2003 and started operations on 18 June 2004 with 3 leased Airbus A320-200 aircraft serving Karachi-Lahore and Karachi-Islamabad with three daily flights in each direction. The airline was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister of Pakistan.[citation needed]

During the first year the airline became very popular[4], which allowed the airline to compete directly with the flag carrier PIA and the two other private carriers. This allowed the airline to expand into more cities in Pakistan including Peshawar, Quetta and Nawabshah. On 14 August 2005 (Pakistan's 58th Independence Day) Airblue launched its first international flight from Karachi to Dubai. On June 4, 2007, Airblue launched its inaugural flight to Manchester using the Airbus A321.[5]

Destinations

  Pakistan
  Current destinations
Main article: Airblue destinations

New destinations

Expansion plans include Bahrain, Bangkok, Birmingham, Colombo, Copenhagen, Delhi, Dhaka, Jeddah, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, London-Gatwick, Mumbai, Oslo and Singapore. At home they plan to launch Multan,Faisalabad and Sialkot.[6]

Services

Cabin

Airblue currently operates a mixture of Airbus A321, A320 and A319s. All aircraft are in a 3 by 3 all economy layout.[7] There are several overhead screens located after several rows. The airline dropped its Business class section due to exogenous economic factors. The layout was 2 by 2 with inflight televisions and leather seating.[8]

eTicketing

Karachi is the hub for most of Airblue's domestic operations

Airblue was the first airline in Pakistan to introduce e-ticketing, wireless check-in and self check-in kiosk facilities. The airline also became a member of Sabre system that is used by over a hundred airlines to help it with ticket automation service.

OnAir deal

OnAir has announced an agreement with Airblue, Pakistan’s fastest growing airline, to launch Mobile OnAir voice and data services on up to 12 of its Airbus A320 aircraft beginning in 2009.[9]

Frequent flyer program

Airblue frequent flyer program is called Blue Miles. Passengers are able to initially start on the base level where sign up is free. Once passenger earn enough miles, the are upgrades to the Blue Card followed by the Platinum Card. In May 2009, the airline formed an alliance with The Royal Bank of Scotland Limited (RBS) to launch its summer promotion on its credit cards.[10]

Lounges

Airblue inaugrated its own premium lounge at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi in November 2008. Nicknamed, the Blue Lounge International, it was designed for business class passengers, credit card holders and privileged customers. The lounge offers a number of internet facilities, cable television, newspapers and magazines, massage chairs as well as a snack bar. It is located in the international wing of the airport.

Joint venture with JS Air

To comply with Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regulations the airline started operating on socio-economic routes by flying to Nawabshah in central Sindh however the service was soon suspended because of low passenger load factors and the unsuitability of the A320 aircraft for this route. The suspension meant that Airblue was not compliant with CAA regulations and therefore had to incur penalty fees.

To overcome the issue of non-compliance Airblue entered into a joint venture with start-up charter airline JS Air to operate flights on its behalf on socio-economic routes. This represented the first time in Pakistani aviation history that 2 air operators entered into a joint venture arrangement. The first destination under this agreement was the port city of Gwadar which was connected to the Airblue network on 17 June and was served twice daily, except Fridays, from Karachi. The flights were operated using JS Air's 19 seater Beech 1900C aircraft which are specifically suited to serving low yield 'commuter' destinations. This service was also suspended in 2007 due to insufficient demand despite using suitable aircraft.

Cost cutting measures

To deal with the fuel price hike worldwide, Airblue are converting their fleet to all economy class. This will also be applied to their new aircraft, which will be delivered starting in 2009. They are also ending full meal services and replacing it with sandwiches and pastries. In 2006 Airblue did away with chinaware crockery service for meals in economy class to cut costs and weight, replacing it with plasticware as per normal industry practice.

File:A321.jpg
Dnata handles the majority of Airblue's ground services within Pakistan as well at most of its oversea operations

Ground services

Passengers may check-in between two to 48 hours prior to flight departure. This may be done over the counter or at the self-service kiosks. Currently self service kiosks are available at Jinnah International Airport and Allama Iqbal International Airport. Dnata the aviation services company handles the ground and passenger handling for the airline at all of the airports the airline operates from. Gate Gourmet provides food and beverage services to the airline.

Cargo operations

Airblue have launched e-Cargo service to cater to air freight markets of Pakistan, UAE and UK.[11] According to a press release, e-Cargo will broaden the base of cargo and permit certified agents to book freight directly online opening the inventory through the web.

Fleet

File:A321-200.jpg
A pair of Airbus A321s at Benazir Bhutto International Airport, Pakistan. (2007)
Aircraft In Fleet Orders Passengers
(Economy) 		Notes
Airbus A319-112 2 0 144
Airbus A321-231 2 0 185
Total 4 0 Last updated: 28 July 2010[12]

Orders and deliveries

In November 2007, Airblue signed an agreement to purchase eight more A320 aircraft bringing the airline's total order up to 14. The deal is worth $520 million at catalogue prices. The aircraft will be configured to seat 156 passenger in two classes configuration.[13] The delivery of the first aircraft was expected in 2009 from Airbus, but thereafter the whole deal has been shrouded in mystery and secrecy with rumors of the whole deal having been cancelled. This is supported by the fact that of the 14 aircraft ordered, to date, only 1 has received airblue markings, that too over a year ago, and has since been parked at Tolouse, in France citing conflicts with insurance providers. The remaining 13 aircraft are said to have been shifted to Qatar Airways' order book.

Corporate social responsibility

In March 2008, Airblue launched the Plant-A-Tree program. It involved planting of 1 million trees throughout Pakistan in the year.[14] In May 2009, Airblue, launched a relief campaign to collect donations at its sales points and check-in counters for the victims of Swat valley conflict. The airline joined hands with HelpCounts.org to provide relief to people displaced from Swat valley due to the military operation against militants.[15]

Achievements and recognitions

  • First airline in Pakistan and only the third carrier in the region behind Emirates and Royal Jordanian to introduce the state-of-the-art self-service check-in facilities at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi.
  • First private airline in Pakistan to initiate long-haul services on (Islamabad-Manchester) sector.
  • First private airline within Pakistan to place an order for new aircraft.
  • First airline in Pakistan to start e-ticketing.
  • First airline in Pakistan to start self check in kiosks (Karachi)
  • Airblue makes a fuel stop at Trabzon in Turkey when flying to and from Manchester. This route is the longest route operated by an Airbus A321 aircraft in the world, and the longest scheduled route operated by an Airbus narrowbody aircraft (excluding the Airbus A319LR).[16]

Incidents and accidents

  • On 28 July 2010, Airblue Flight 202, an Airbus A321 flying from Karachi to Islamabad, crashed in Margalla Hills in Islamabad.[17][18][19] It is reported that the pilot was instructed to perform a go-around due to traffic on the runway, however due to severe weather in the city, very low visibility was present. 152 passengers were on board. Six crew members were on board; four were flight attendants, one was a pilot, and one was a co-pilot. Pilot Pervez Iqbal Choudry was one of the senior pilots in Airblue with more than 20 years of experience. The death toll is believed to be 80+ , with some reporting there are no survivors [20]

See also

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References

  1. ^ Airblue launches Blue Lounge International
  2. ^ "Contacting Us." Airblue. Retrieved on 28 July 2010. "Airblue Limited (Corporate Headquarters) 12th Floor, ISE Towers 55-B Jinnah Avenue Islamabad 111-247-258."
  3. ^ a b Airblue now has 20% share of domestic traffic in Pakistan - looks to Scandinavia for further western expansion | anna.aero
  4. ^ "Pakistan’s popular private airline AirBlue to begin Flights to UK in May" Pakistan Times, Prinited Jan 28, 2007
  5. ^ AirBlue Begins Pakistan-UK Flights from June 1
  6. ^ Airblue now has a 20% share of domestic traffic in Pakistan - and looks to Scandinavia for further Western expansion | anna.aero
  7. ^ Economy class section of Airblue A320s
  8. ^ The front section of Airblue's Business class cabin
  9. ^ OnAir wings Airblue deal
  10. ^ Promotional Campaign Launched
  11. ^ Airblue e-Cargo
  12. ^ Airblue Fleet
  13. ^ Pakistan's Air Blue orders eight Airbus A320 aircraft
  14. ^ AirBlue Sets-off Green Revolution; To Plant Over 1 Million Trees Pakistan Times, Printed 12 March 2008.
  15. ^ Society: Conflict in Swat: Airline Campaign
  16. ^ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-03-27. p. 69.
  17. ^ http://www.geo.tv/7-28-2010/69067.htm
  18. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-10784971
  19. ^ http://www.english.rfi.fr/asia-pacific/20100728-plane-crashes-near-islamabad-152-people-board
  20. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/2010/07/100728_airline_margalla_collide.shtml

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Airblue.
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