Pakistan’s PIA to replace B777s with A320s

PIA – Pakistan International Airlines (PK, Islamabad Quaid-e-Azam Int’l) is planning to dry-lease four A320-200s by the end of 2021, with the first two replacing two B777s in the carrier’s fleet, sources told The Express Tribune daily.

The Pakistani flag carrier recently confirmed that the first two of the four Airbus narrowbodies will be dry leased from Seraph Aviation Management and will deliver by mid-July and in August 2021, respectively. Tender documents from early 2021 seen by ch-aviation indicate the aircraft will be msn 7784 and 7792, both 2017 builds and formerly operated by Interjet. They are currently stored at Perpignan and Goodyear airports, respectively.

The reports did not indicate which two B777s the airline was planning to replace. According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, PIA currently operates six B777-200(ER)s (16.4 years old on average), two B777-200(LR)s (16.2 years), and four B777-300(ER)s (13.6 years).

PIA did not respond to ch-aviation’s request for comment.

The other two A320-200s, whose identities were also not revealed, are expected to deliver in October and December 2021. All four jets will be dry leased for six years.

The tender documents show that besides the two narrowbodies from Seraph, PIA also qualified, on financial and technical grounds, four aircraft owned by GECAS, three from SMBC Aviation Capital, two from Etihad Aviation Group, two from CMB Financial Leasing, two from Minsheng Financial Leasing, and one from Goshawk. Although the carrier also received offers to the lease of B737 MAX and A320neo Family aircraft, none qualified for the tender. The RFP was originally framed as a request for the lease of up to eight aircraft.

PIA’s current narrowbody fleet comprises eleven A320-200s.

The state-owned carrier also operates five ATR42-500s and four ATR72-500s. Speaking recently to the Pakistani media, Chief Executive Arshad Malik said the larger Avions de Transport Régional turboprops had been earmarked for retirement in the coming months. The airline had earlier said in reaction to ongoing safety concerns, it would actually ground all ATRs, including the ATR42s.