UAE-backed Fly Jinnah airline to start domestic operations in Pakistan from November

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s first low-cost air carrier is all set to begin domestic flight operations from next month, said its management in a social media post on Sunday, after securing Air Operator Certificate and Operating License earlier this month. 
Fly Jinnah, a joint venture between Pakistan’s Lakson Group and the United Arab Emirates-based Air Arabia, was launched in September last year to provide people low-cost air travel options on domestic and international routes. 
Soon after the announcement, Pakistan’s aviation experts said the country’s first budget airline was likely to take off in the next 18 months. 
“Starting 1st November, fly from Karachi to Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta from just PKR 13,999 one way,” the airline announced on Twitter. “Enjoy more value at every mile with free inflight entertainment and 10kg hand baggage allowance.” 

Fly Jinnah has uniformly priced its one-way introductory airfare at Rs13,999 ($64) for its flights from Karachi to Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Islamabad. It also announced in another social media post that it would continue to expand and serve more destinations soon. 
Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan met the chairman of Air Arabia, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al-Thani, last year and welcomed his decision to invest in the country. 
Al-Thani said his company was confident that Fly Jinnah would add value to Pakistan’s air transport sector and directly contribute to the local economy through job creation and development of travel and tourism sector. 
Fly Jinnah will join three other private airlines, AirBlue, SereneAir and AirSial, which are currently operating in the country. However, its management plans to serve a different niche which is expected to change the overall market dynamics in Pakistan’s air travel industry.