DUBAI – One of the leading airlines of United Arab Emirates (UAE) is about to start operations in Pakistan to serve thousands of customers.
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi will soon begin flights to and from Pakistan as it has been given go ahead by the federal government.
In a cabinet meeting, the government approved Wizz Air Abu Dhabi’s decision to operate in the country. The operation of flights from Pakistan would serve consumers who travel to UAE on a regular basis for business, leisure or fun.
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is a low-cost airline and is a joint venture with state-owned ADQ (formerly, Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company, ADDH), which owns 51 percent with Wizz Air Holdings owning the remaining 49 percent. The carrier’s first flight took off on the 19th of May 2004 from Katowice to London Luton and boasts a fleet of 153 ultramodern Airbus A320 family aircraft.
The federal government’s decision to allow Wizz Air Abu Dhabi comes weeks after SunExpress was allowed to start operations in Pakistan. SunExpress, a joint venture between Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa has applied for starting operations in the country and after the completion of formalities, the airline would be airborne to serve travelers.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has received the request forwarded by the airline which would now be processed by the Aviation Division.
The airline would begin operations between Pakistan and Turkiye and would provide alternatives to all those who prefer Pakistan International Airlines and other flag carriers currently.
Pakistan’s aviation industry is fast changing with closure of few airlines and entry of new players. A few months earlier, British airline Virgin Atlantic announced to close operations in Pakistan citing ‘low yield operations’ while Ethiopian Airlines announced to begin operations in the country.
At present, carriers are facing challenges in repatriating dollars because of low foreign exchange reserves of the country.
Air carriers sell tickets in local currency but then they need to repatriate dollars to pay for expenses such as fuel and maintenance charges and certainly a delay in the process dents their financial balance.
As far as Pakistan is concerned, the volume of dollars withheld has spiked to $290 million as of January, the Financial Times reported.
