Pakistan International Airlines
After a short period of independence, Pakistan decided in 1951 that it needed a national flag carrier airline; the government of the country accordingly established Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) in this role, and on 25 May ordered three examples of the Lockheed L-1049C Super Constellation four-engined airliner as the new operator's initial equipment. PIA flew its first service with the Super Constellation on 07 June 1954 on the route linking Karachi and Dacca (now Dhaka), which were the main cities of the country's western and eastern halves, of which the later is now Bangladesh. On 1 February 1955 the airline flew its first international service, between Karachi and London via Cairo.
Lockheed L-1049C Super Constellation
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AP-AFQ in 1950s livery (Abbas Ali Collection)
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On 11 March 1955 PIA formally took over the assets and routes of another Pakistani operator, Orient Airways, which had in effect been part of PIA since October 1953. The consolidation of the two airlines meant that PIA could enlarge its domestic network with 11 Douglas DC-3 and two Convair CV-240 aircraft, which left the Super Constellation machines wholly free for international services.
Douglas DC-3 Dakota
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Modernization of the fleet used for domestic and regional operations was now a matter of high priority, and in May 1956 the airline placed an order for three examples of the Vickers Viscount 815 four-turboprop airliner, the first of which was accepted in the UK on 2 January 1959 for a debut in revenue earning service on the service linking Karachi and Delhi on 31 January 1959. Further enhancement came in 1961 with debut of the Fokker F-27 Friendship twin-turboprop type, of which the first was received on 3 January 1961. The availability of the F-27 for operation on the routes linking the major Pakistani cities freed the DC-3 fleet for use on new services to the remoter parts of East Pakistan.
Vickers Viscount 815
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PIA was the first Asian airline with pure-jet aircraft, in the form of a Boeing 707-321 machine leased from Pan American World Airways for use from 7 March 1960 on the London service that was extended to New York on 17 June 1961. On 21 December 1961 PIA began to receive its own jet aircraft when it took delivery of the first of three Boeing 720-040B aircraft, whose availability permitted the operator to enlarge its international route network.
Boeing 720-040B
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In 1963 PIA called off its New York service, but on 29 April 1964 became the first non-communist airline to operate a service to the Chinese city of Shanghai. A notable feature of PIA's domestic routes in East Pakistan for some time was the helicopter services operated with Sikorsky S-61N's. PIA ordered four examples of the Hawker Siddeley HS.121 Trident 1E to replace Vickers Viscount 815s. First of these four Trident aircraft was accepted on 1 March 1966. The Trident aircraft were later sold to the Civil Aviation Administration of China in 1970. In 1971 East Pakistan secured its independence as Bangladesh, and PIA ceased operations to that country. The airline's fleet and network were both reduced, but the service to New York was resumed in 1972.
Hawker Siddeley HS.121 Trident 1E
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The first wide-body airliner used by PIA was the McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 three-turbofan type, which the airline first received on 1 March 1974. A pair of Boeing 747-282B four-turbofan aircraft (initially leased from TAP Air Portugal) followed in April 1976, and on 3 March 1980 the airline accepted its first Airbus A300B4-203 two-turbofan type. In 1985 PIA became the first Asian operator of Boeing 737-300 aircraft, a total of six Boeing 737-300s were ordered to replace ageing Boeing 720B aircraft. PIA received first of its six Airbus A310-308 aircraft on 25 June 1991 from Airbus Industrie.
Boeing 747-282B
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In the first half of the year 1999, PIA acquired five Boeing 747-367 aircraft (initially leased from Cathay Pacific) for its European and North American destinations. In 2002 PIA signed an agreement with Boeing Company for the biggest aircraft deal in the history of PIA. After a dry spell of 10 years, PIA ordered new aircraft - 8 wide-body aircraft from the Boeing 777family for its long-haul flights. The airline accepted delivery of its first Boeing 777-240ER aircraft at Boeing Field in Seattle, USA, on 29 January, 2004. On 2 November, 2005, PIA signed an agreement with Avions de Transport Regional (ATR) of France to purchase seven brand new ATR 42-500 turbo prop aircraft. These new 48-seater ATRs will replace PIA's ageing fleet of Fokker F-27s on airline's domestic and regional route network. On May 31, 2006, PIA received its first ATR 42-500 in Toulouse, France. The remaining six ATR 42-500s were delivered to the airline between 2006 and 2007.
Boeing 777-240ER
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The Airbus A310, Boeing 747 and Boeing 777 are currently the mainstays of PIA's medium- and long-haul operations, with feeder, local and regional services provided by the Boeing 737-300 and ATR 42-500.
Life has never been easy for PIA, as the flag carrier of a young and developing nation which has had an eventful history to date, but it is a worthy ambassador for Pakistan and its people. Its services and personnel have helped to make the country more widely known and her people better understood in a large part of the world.
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The first airline from an Asian land country and the first airline from a Muslim country to fly the Super Constellation.
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| - | The first Asian airline to operate a jet aircraft. |
| - | The first Asian airline to be granted maintenance approval by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Air Registration Board, predecessor of the British Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). |
| - | The first non-communist airline to fly to the People's Republic of China, and to operate a service between Asia and Europe via Moscow. |
| - | The first airline in Asia to induct the new technology Boeing 737-300 aircraft. |
| - | An IBM 1401, the first computer in Pakistan, was installed in PIA. |
| - | The first airline to introduce a second route to People's Republic of China over the mighty Karakoram mountains. |
| - | The first airline to show in-flight movies on international routes. |
| - | PIA set up Pakistan's first planetarium at Karachi. |
| - | The first airline in South Asia to introduce auto-ticketing facility. |
| - | The first airline in the world to fly to Tashkent, capital of the newly independent state of Uzbekistan. |
| - | First airline in the world to start Air Safari with jet aircraft. |
| - | First Asian airline to start flights to Oslo, the beautiful capital city of Norway. |
| - | First airline in the world to induct Boeing 777-200LR, the world's longest range commercial airliner. |
| - | First airline in South Asia to offer the facility of seat reservation through mobile phone. |
Historic Firsts Photo Gallery
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This photo was taken on February 1, 1954 when Pakistan's ambassador to the United States was invited to officially accept the delivery of PIA's first Super Constellation (AP-AFQ). With the delivery of AP-AFQ to PIA, Pakistan became the first Asian land country and the first Muslim country to fly the Super Constellation. Six-and-a-half year old Sharon Owen - who is exactly the same age as Pakistan, born on August 14, 1947 - acted as honorary stewardess, helping show off the plane to the official party. In this photo, young Sharon Owen is seen shaking hand with Syed Amjad Ali, Pakistan's ambassador to the United States. Looking on are Mrs. Amjad Ali, Robert E. Gross, president of Lockheed, and Capt. Neville Hemsworth, PIA's Super Constellation pilot
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Boeing 707-321 (Abbas Ali Collection)
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PIA became the first Asian airline to operate a jetliner when it leased Boeing 707-321 (registration N723PA) "Clipper Viking" from Pan American World Airways in 1960. "Clipper Viking" was leased out to PIA on February 09, 1960 for use from March 07, 1960 on the London service that was extended to New York on June 16, 1961. The aircraft was returned to Pan Am on December 12, 1962. In this photo, passengers are seen boarding N723PA at London Heathrow Airport. When this photo was taken, the Boeing 707 was operating PIA flight PK-706 from London to Karachi via Rome, Beirut and Tehran
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PIA was the first non-communist airline to operate flights to the People's Republic of China. In this rare photo from 1964 in Yawar's collection, you can see the arrival of PIA's first flight from China at Dacca Airport, East Pakistan. Yawar's grandfather Capt. Moinuddin Quraishi appears on the right side of this photo. The Chinese delegation was given warm welcome with flower garlands as seen in the photo. PIA Boeing 720B jetliner used for this flight appears in the background of this photo
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AP-BCE seen during a pre-delivery test flight in 1985. PIA was the first Asian operator of Boeing 737 series 300 aircraft. A total of six Boeing 737-340s were delivered to PIA between 1985 and 1986. These Boeing 737s replaced ageing Boeing 720Bs on PIA's domestic and regional flights
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Boeing 720-047B (Ajaz Karim Collection)
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Pakistan's first planetarium was set up by PIA in Karachi. This photo from late Ajaz Karim's collection shows AP-AXM on display at PIA Planetarium in Karachi
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Boeing 737-340 (AVM Farooq Umar Collection)
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Managing Director PIA Air Vice Marshal Farooq Umar before embarking Boeing 737-300 jetliner with group of tourists and guests on inaugural Air Safari flight to Karakorams on August 6, 1993. PIA is the first airline in the world to operate Air Safari flights with jet aircraft
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This photo shows AP-BDZ landing on runway 01R of Norway's Oslo-Gardermoen Airport on May 1, 2001. PIA became the first Asian airline to touch down in Norway when its Airbus A310-308 landed at Oslo's Gardermoen Airport on May 1, 1999. PIA commenced two weekly flights on Karachi-Oslo sector, via Lahore and Islamabad, respectively. On the return route, the flights are routed via Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, which was PIA's first destination in Scandinavia two decades ago
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