The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has granted a regular public transport license to Karachi’s private airline, Air Karachi, paving the way for the new carrier’s upcoming launch.
Hanif Gohar, one of Air Karachi’s partners, confirmed that the airline had received the license. He said the application was submitted in January this year, and approval was granted in a record time of just six months.
He explained that securing the license required clearances and permissions from several institutions, and they were pleased by the swift approval process. Flight operations are expected to begin soon.
However, Gohar noted that one additional permit is still required before flights can commence. This permit is expected to be issued within the next two months, and the airline’s management is confident it will be secured on time.
In response to a question, he said the airline will initially operate domestic flights, with plans to launch international operations after one year.
At the start, the airline will operate three leased aircraft, each with a seating capacity of 180 passengers, providing an initial total capacity of 540 passengers.
Once operational, Air Karachi plans to begin domestic flights connecting six cities: Karachi, Sukkur, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Quetta. The airline also aims to expand its fleet to seven aircraft over time.
After completing the mandatory one-year domestic operations period, Air Karachi plans to launch international flights to the Middle East.
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