Pakistan International Airlines

[lbaspotter]

Well it defintley operated outbound as i have PIA776 Leeds to Islanmabad logged at 00:20 operated by A310-300, AP-BEU.

So i think they let it break the curfew again.

 

[White Heather]

I heard it leave on Runway 14, so either it did depart OK in the end, or the outbound was cancelled and left empty. Anyone tell us please?

 

[lbaspotter]

As far as i understand if they (LBA Mangerment) let it go (The PIA A310) out after the curfew is imposed, they normally remove the flight from the Airport website departure boards so that the local nimbys dont get wind off whats departed late.

 

[White Heather]

Well I thought I heard it leave around 2030, which is well inside the hours. It certainly sounded like the A310 although I was listening to it at the same time as watching TV!

 

[rmac]

I thought I saw it on the Multiflight web cam taxiing out and departing about 20:30, then noticed it on Virtuel radar which showed LBA to ISB with PIA776 A310. It passed KLM AMS to LBA over the Selby area, I then watched the F70 descent towards Leeds, out over Ilkley before landing, which I then watched on the webcam. Fascinating.

 

[ls27]

Looks as though PIK will late again to night. It has gone back onto the stand.at 2027.

 

[lbaspotter]

PIA have been messing with there schedule.

The service will continue to operate 2x weekly from Islamabad to Leeds with Airbus A310’s on Wednesdays and Saturdays to the new revised later timings.

PK775 = ISB 14:00 - LBA 18:20
PK776 = LBA 19:45 - ISB 07:20* (Arrives the following day)

All times are local.

 

[Aviador]

That's just back to the old times then for the summer.

 

[backtrack]

That's just back to the old times then for the summer.

Yeah, thats what i thought too...

 

[Aviador]

Well it would seem that PIA have got off with a ticking off this time for the previously reported after hours unauthorised departures.

Leeds City Council has said that it is happy that the airport is working closely with PIA to resolve the problem highlighting the implementation of a more suitable aircraft as one of the potential resolves along with the re timing of the flight to an earlier departure time.

 

[White Heather]

Well that makes sense - their record more recently has improved, I am sure, and the last thing that LBA, or indeed the cities of Leeds and Bradford would want, is to hound the airline to the point where they up sticks and go somewhere else. It remains a big feather in the LBA cap that PIA operate from here, and long may it continue!

 

[whoshotjimmi]

Surely the timings can't be changed too much - it already arrives in Pakistan very early in the morning. The only way around it would be to have it arrive into LBA about 8 hours earlier, meaning a late (midnightish) arrival at Islamabad. That is the only way to ensure curfew is kept without the timings getting silly. But then I do not know how that would affect the other flights that aircraft performs.

 

[Aviador]

Pakistan International Airlines looks set to quit LBA?

I have been informed today that PIA is to scrap it's flights to Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) Flights will cease mid June. This would appear to be confirmed by the airlines website and the flight is no longer bookable after Wednesday the 11th of June.

Unless there is a miracle it is looking like this is the end to LBA's weekly transcontinental flights.

 

[Moo2009]

I am sure if PIA goes someone maybe Air Blue will pick up the route

 

[jason1-11]

This will be a real blow, but not totally unexpected as the airline can operate the 777-300 into Manchester at a cost a lot lower than the ageing A310.

Am I right in thinking the loads out of Leeds are still in the high 90%'s?

 

[White Heather]

This is terrible news. I agree that hopefully another operator will come in, who have more up to date equipment, but it was always good for LBA to have a national carrier here. I will be very sad to see PIA go, especially when they have been so successful, but I suspect that the age of the A310, coupled with a lack of really suitable equipment for LBA, has combined together to lead to this decision. No doubt MAN have also been trying their best to get them back over there too. I only hope that LBA can get another operator in without a significant gap in services and that the Pakistani community do their bit to demand the re-instatement of the route.

 

[airbus]

PIA arew not pulling out of leeds because i have just been on there websit and i could book a flight to islamabad from leeds in feb 2012

 

[Aviador]

This is by no means definate even if my previous post comes across that way but all the signs are pointing towards a withdrawl. Clearly we will have to wait for confirmation eitherway from PIA, but the flight is definately not bookable after mid June. That is only one month lead in time if more flights are put on sale.

 

[airbus]

all flight from may to november are full look at the my link http://www.piac.com.pk/Vil.aspx this flight is on 17 th of august the flight is full

 

[Aviador]

all flight from may to november are full look at the my link http://www.piac.com.pk/Vil.aspx this flight is on 17 th of august the flight is full

I would love to share your optimism that all the flights are full between May and November but do you honestly believe that?

I only checked the PIA website today after being told by three separate people the flight had been cancelled as of next month. The attachment I posted earlier tallies with that theory. All the dates I tried didn't offer any flights from LBA and I have now been told that some travel agents in Bradford are now saying the flight is cancelled as of next month.

A guess we'll just have to wait and see if PIA either formally announce the dropping of the route or if they put flights on sale for after June 11th, but there's no smoke without fire as they say.