Shaheen Air

Shaheen Air
IATA ICAO Callsign
NL SAI SHAHEEN AIR
Founded 1993
Commenced operations 25 October 1994
Hubs Jinnah International Airport
Allama Iqbal International Airport
Benazir Bhutto International Airport
Bacha Khan International Airport
Fleet size 15
Destinations 21
Headquarters Karachi, Pakistan
Website shaheenair.com

Shaheen Air International, operating as Shaheen Air, is a private Pakistani airline with its head office on the grounds of Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.[1] Shaheen Air, which provides passenger, cargo and charter services, serves the major cities of Pakistan and the Persian Gulf. It was founded in December 1993 and commenced operations on 25 October 1994. The airline focuses on cities in northern Pakistan, rather than Karachi. The airline's primary hub is Karachi's Jinnah International Airport, with secondary hubs at Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Islamabad and at Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore.

The airline is named after the Shaheen falcon, Pakistan's national bird.

History and modernization

A Shaheen Air International Tupolev Tu-154M taxiing at Dubai International Airport, United Arab Emirates in 1999.

The airline was founded by Khalid Mehmood Sehbai who was the airline's first chairman. At first the airline introduced nationwide flights to countrywide destinations. The airline introduced many different flights, but operated mainly between the Pakistani cities of Karachi and Quetta.

On 22 May 2004, the Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan (CAA) grounded Shaheen Air as the airline owed it millions of rupees. Three days later the airline was cleared by the CAA to resume its domestic and international operations. The clearance letter was issued by CAA following receipt of a payment from Shaheen Air International towards the outstanding dues and funds. The same year, Shaheen Air International (SAI) became Shaheen Air and the airline introduced a new livery and corporate website.

Today, Shaheen Air is Pakistan's second national carrier next to the flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines. In its international operations, Shaheen Air also operates between Pakistan and numerous destinations in the Middle East. Shaheen Air has started flight operations to Riyadh with three different routes from Pakistan.[2]

Shaheen Air started its own maintenance repair organization (MRO) by the name of Shaheen Engineering and Aircraft Maintenance Services (SEAMS) which aims to provide maintenance services to Shaheen Air as well as other regional and international airlines.

Services

Shaheen Air operates Boeing 737-400 and Airbus A320-200 aircraft in all-Economy class configuration; and Airbus A330-200s and A330-300s in a Business- and Economy class layout mix.

Cargo operations

Shaheen Air Cargo is a division of Shaheen Air International that was established in 1993, soon after the inception of the airline. Shaheen Air provides special services for sending small consignments that are time-sensitive in nature.[3]

Destinations

Shaheen Air mainly operates on domestic and Gulf routes. In 2015 it became the only private airline from Pakistan to fly east, with non-stop flights from Lahore's Allama Iqbal International Airport to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in China; and more recently commenced services between Islamabad and Manchester. Several other destinations are also planned in Thailand, Malaysia, Qatar, Denmark, Norway and Italy; as well as Shanghai.[4]

Fleet

Shaheen Air Airbus A320.
Shaheen Air Airbus A330-300.

As of October 2016 the Shaheen Air fleet consists of the following aircraft:[5]

    Shaheen Air fleet
    Aircraft In Service Orders Passengers
    (Economy)    		 Notes
    Airbus A319-100 0 7[6] 150 Delivery November 2016
    Airbus A320-200 8 0 168
    174
    Airbus A330-200 4 0 326
    Airbus A330-300 2 0 370
    Boeing 737-400 1 0 162 Nine others in storage
    Total 15 7
    Previously operated

    References

    1. ↑ "Contact Us > Domestic." Shaheen Air. Retrieved on 28 July 2010. "Head Office Shaheen Air International Terminal-1 Road, Jinnah International Airport, Karachi-75200, Pakistan"
    2. ↑ "Shaheen Air flights for Riyadh - Anna Aero" Shaheen Air inaugurates operations in Riyadh with three routes from Pakistan
    3. ↑ Shaheen Air Cargo services accessed 2009-12-31
    4. ↑ Shaheen plan network expansion in Europe and Far East
    5. ↑ "Shaheen Air Fleet Details and History". planespotters.net. 2 October 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
    6. ↑ AerCap A319s to be upgraded for Shaheen retrieved 20 July 2016
    7. 1 2 3 Shaheen Air historic fleet
    8. ↑ Shaheen Air 737=800 fleet information
    9. ↑ Shaheen Air fleet 767 information
    10. ↑ Shaheen Air Yak 42 information

    External links

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