PM Imran Khan inaugurates Pakistan’s new private airline AirSial

AirSial is the initiative of businessmen from Sialkot, the football manufacturing capital of the world

Prime Minister Imran Khan formally inaugurated Pakistan’s newly established private airline, AirSial, in Sialkot on December 9.

This is the third private airline of Pakistan introduced and to be operated by the Sialkot’s business community.

PM Khan was accompanied by federal ministers Hammad Azahar, Ghulam Sarwar, Advisor Razzak Dawood, SAPM Usman Dar, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar and Special Assistant to CM Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan, to launch the airline which would initially operate domestically.

AirSial to begin nationwide flight operations soon

With the current fleet of three Airbus A320-200, the airline will initially operate 16 flights between Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Sialkot and Peshawar before expanding operations. The management expects to take the airline international in two years.  

Three Airbus A320-200s of Air Sial arrived at the Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, from Phoenix, Arizona, early on Sunday morning via Egypt. The airline is a joint venture of the businessmen in Sialkot. The idea came to the fore in 2015 after the construction of the Sialkot Airport, the country’s first and, to date, only privately owned airport.

The inclusion of Air Sial into the relatively small group of airlines in Pakistan will add much-needed competition. It will provide consumers with more options to choose from. With better service and competitive pricing, Air Sial can surely grow into a successful airline in times to come.  

Sialkot – the football capital of the world

Sialkot is known as the football manufacturing capital of the world. The industrialists in the city are forward-looking and have specialized in sports and surgical goods manufacturing. Football is the largest export of the city, with brands like Adidas and Nike getting their products manufactured here due to the high quality. A conservative estimate puts the daily production of footballs at 300,000 per day. Approximately 70% of the world’s footballs are manufactured in Sialkot.