Pakistan International Airlines

Pakistan International Airlines can trace its origins to the days when Pakistan had not yet come into existence following the end of the British Raj and the Partition of British India. In 1945, the country's founder Muhammed Ali Jinnah realized the need for a flag carrier for the prospective country and requested financial help from wealthy businessmen Mirza Ahmad Ispahani and Adamjee Haji Dawood for this purpose.[18] As a result, the new airline, Orient Airways Limited, was registered in Kolkata (then known as Calcutta) on 23 October 1946.[18] Orient became the first and only Muslim-owned airline in the British Raj.[19][20]

In February 1947, the airline bought three Douglas DC-3 aircraft and obtained a licence to fly in May of the same year.[18] The airline started its operations on 30 June 1947, offering services in British India from Calcutta to Sittwe and Rangoon (present-day Yangon).

On 14 August 1947, Pakistan gained independence and Orient Airways started relief operations for the new country. The airline was entrusted with the task of servicing air routes between East and West Pakistan.[18] By 1949, Orient acquired 3 Convair CV-240s to service the Karachi-Delhi-Calcutta-Dhaka route, and became the first Asian airline to operate Convair aircraft.[18]

A Convair CV-240 at Jinnah International Airport Karachi, circa 1950.

A Lockheed 1049C Super Constellation at London Heathrow International Airport London, 8 April 1955.

Orient's traffic continuously declined until 1953 as Britain's BOAC had been granted rights to carry passengers between the two wings of Pakistan, while two other local competitors also began serving Orient routes.[18] As a result of losses, the Pakistani government began subsidizing Orient's operations through a 1952 contract for the purchase of 3 Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellations registered to the government's newly established subsidiary, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), at the cost of 25 million rupees.[18] PIA had been established as a department of Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority, and was tasked with operation and maintenance of the new Lockheed aircraft.[18]

Pakistan's government established the Pakistan International Airlines Corporation through the merger Orient Airways with Pakistan International Airlines on 1 October 1953 by an interim joint operating agreement in which the government assumed financial control of the airline, while Orient's operations and ground assets could be complemented by the aircraft of Pakistan International Airlines - although Orient Airways continued to operate under its name for a few more years.[18]

Pakistan's Ministry of Defence took over operations from the Civil Aviation Authority in early 1954, while the chairman of Orient Airways became the CEO of PIA, and foreign staff brought in to help relaunch the airline.[18] On 7 June 1954, Orient Airways began nonstop flight services between East- and West Pakistan, with service from Karachi to Dhaka using Pakistan International Airlines' Lockheed aircraft that had been ordered in 1952 and delivered in early 1954. The route was subsidized by the government so that middle-class Pakistanis could afford to fly the route, with rates that may have been the lowest in the world at the time.[18] The airline also introduced two new domestic routes: Karachi–Lahore–Peshawar and Karachi–Quetta–Lahore.

On 11 March 1955, Orient Airways and Pakistan International Airlines were formally merged as part of the Pakistan International Airlines Corporation Ordinance, 1955. Orient Airways ceased operations while the government of Pakistan took a majority holding in the airline.[18] The new PIA had a fleet of 3 L-I049C Super Constellations, 2 Convair CV-240s, and 11 DC-3s.[18]

The newly relaunched airline also inaugurated its first international route, Karachi-London Heathrow Airport[21] via Cairo and Rome, using the newly acquired Lockheed L-1049C Super Constellations. The airline continued using DC-3s on domestic routes in Pakistan. PIA carried 113,165 passengers in 1955 - 50% higher than in 1954.[18]

In May 1956, PIA ordered five Vickers Viscount 815s. The airline also entered into a partnership with PanAm to train PIA's personnel in 1956.[18] In 1957–1958, passenger numbers rose to 208,000, necessitating the purchase of 2 additional Lockheed Super Constellations.[18] The appointment of Air Marshal Nur Khan as the managing director of PIA in 1959 heralded an era of success for PIA.

A Boeing 720 at Heathrow Airport on 24 June 1962.[22]

In February 1960, PIA wet-leased a Boeing 707 from Pan American airlines and introduced it onto the Karachi-London route on 7 March 1960 initially using PanAm pilots,[8] thereby becoming the first Asian airline to induct and commercially operate a jet aircraft in its fleet.[8][9][11] - Air India took delivery of a 707 earlier on 21 February 1960, but did not induct the aircraft into commercial service until 19 April 1960.[23] An all-Pakistani crew began operation of the 707 from 20 June 1960 onwards.[18] By the end of 1960, PIA, for the first time, entered financial profitability.[18]

With the newly acquired aircraft, the airline introduced its first trans-Atlantic route Karachi-New York via London on 5 May 1961,[18] which was suspended in February 1963.[24] In 1961, it expanded its fleet by placing orders for 3 Boeing 720s, which were delivered in 1962.[18] On 2 January 1962, a PIA Boeing 720B flown by Captain Abdullah Baig from London to Karachi established a world record for speed over a commercial airline route of 938.78 km/h (582.98 mph), a record which still holds to this day.[25] Fokker F27 Friendships, and Sikorsky helicopters were also ordered and delivered in 1963, with the helicopters used to provide air service to 20 towns in East Pakistan until 1966.[18][26]

The helicopters were retired in 1966 and a reduced network of eight cities was served by Fokker F27 aircraft.[26] Upon the establishment of ties between Pakistan and the People's Republic of China, PIA started flying the Dhaka-Canton-Shanghai route on 29 April 1964, becoming the first airline of a non-communist country flying to the People's Republic of China.[27][18] On 10 May 1964, PIA became the first non-Soviet airline offering flights to Europe via Moscow.[18]

At the outbreak of Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, the Pakistani Armed Forces used PIA's services for logistics and transport purposes. The Viscounts were phased out in 1966 and were replaced by four Hawker Siddeley Tridents.

PIA's route grew rapidly in the mid to late 1960s: Dhahran was added in 1965, while Cairo services resumed. In 1966, Paris, Istanbul, Baghdad, Kuwait, Jeddah and Nairobi were added to PIA's routes. Bangkok was added in 1967, while Manila, Tokyo, and Damascus were added in 1969.[18]

PIA Fokker F27 Friendship at Chitral Airport arrived from Peshawar on 1 August 1972.[28]

A PIA McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 taking off from Frankfurt Airport, West Germany, circa 1977.

On 3 December 1971, a French national's attempt to hijack a PIA flight from Paris to Karachi was thwarted by French security forces.[29] Transatlantic flights to New York City were resumed in May 1972 with a stopover in Europe.[24] With the establishment of cordial ties between the Libyan and Pakistani governments in the early '70s, PIA added Tripoli to its network in 1972. PIA also signed an agreement with Yugoslav airline JAT in 1972 to lease 2 PIA Boeing 707s to JAT.[30]

PIA acquired McDonnell Douglas DC-10s in 1973 to replace its remaining Boeing 707-300s. Nur Khan was appointed as PIA executive for the second term in 1974.[24] In 1974, PIA launched Pakistan International Cargo, offering air freight and cargo services. In 1975, PIA introduced new uniforms for air hostesses, which were chosen through an open competition, with the winning entry designed by Hardy Amies.

The latter half of the decade witnessed a further expansion of PIA's fleet with the introduction of Boeing 747s, with its first two aircraft leased from TAP Air Portugal in 1976.[31] By 1976–7, PIA carried 2.2 million passengers, compared to 698,000 in 1972–3.[32] Revenues in 1976 rose sharply compared to 1975, with the airline revenues of $134 million in the July–December period of 1976.[33] On 20 January 1978, a PIA Fokker 27 was hijacked en route to Karachi from Sukkur.[34]

For the first time since its inauguration, PIA started providing technical and administrative assistance or leased aircraft to foreign airlines including Air China,[35] Air Malta,[35] Choson Minhang,[36] Philippine Airlines,[37] Somali Airlines,[38] and Yemenia.[38] A subsidiary of PIA also started providing hotel management services in the United Arab Emirates towards the end of the decade. Political upheaval in Pakistan in the late 1970s began to impact PIA's operations negatively.[39]

The 1980s saw a continuation of PIA growth. The decade began with the opening of a cargo handling centre at Karachi airport, duty-free shops, the first C and D safety checks on its entire fleet, as well as the introduction of airline's first Airbus A300B4-200 aircraft. In 1981, PIA had an employee workforce of almost 24,000, which despite being reduced to 20,000 by 1983 still resulted in PIA having the world's highest ratio of employees to aircraft.[39] PIA's operations became increasingly de-centralized during the early 1980s, with responsibilities being split between new departments.[39] Despite de-centralization, PIA reported its highest ever profits in 1981–2,[40] followed by record profits again in 1983–4.[41]

In 1984, the airline introduced Night-Coach service as a low-cost alternative to day-time domestic flights. In the following years, PIA Planetarium was inaugurated in Karachi which was followed by planetariums in Lahore and Peshawar. These planetariums featured retired PIA aircraft on display for educational or observational purposes. Two more retired Boeing 720B aircraft were donated to the planetariums in Karachi and Lahore later on. PIA profits again rose in 1984–5.[42]

In June 1985, PIA became the first Asian airline to operate the Boeing 737-300 aircraft after 6 of the aircraft were delivered to the airline.[43] Pakistan International Airlines also played a significant role in establishing UAE's Emirates airline in 1985 by providing technical and administrative assistance to the new carrier as well as leasing a new Boeing 737-300 and an Airbus A300B4-200.[12] In late 1987 and early 1988, services to Malé, Manchester, and Toronto were introduced.[44]

A PIA Airbus A300 at Fiumicino Airport, Italy circa 1991.

PIA Boeing 747 Combi taxing at London's London Heathrow International Airport in June 1992.

PIA began to sustain operating losses and liquidity problems throughout the 1990s due to frequent pilot strikes, issues with various vendors, over-staffing, and political interference in airline management.[45] In 1990, First Officer Maliha Sami became the first female pilot of PIA when she took off on the Karachi-Panjgur-Turbat-Gwadar route. In June 1991, PIA took delivery of its first of six Airbus A310-300 aircraft - with the new aircraft, the airline introduced flights to Tashkent in 1992 and to Zürich in 1993.

In March 1993, AVM Farooq Umar became managing director of the airline. An Open Skies agreement between Karachi to Dubai was agreed upon in 1993, and 12 private airlines were allowed to operate domestically in Pakistan. Both steps came simultaneously and put enormous pressure on PIA's financial performance, though PIA launched six new routes to the Persian Gulf and CIS countries, along with a tourist 'Air Safari' scenic flight over the Karakoram Mountains in 1994. Non-stop flights from Lahore and Islamabad to JFK and Canada were launched, while PIA added Jakarta, Fujairah, Baku, and Al-Ain to its network in 1994. In addition, PIA became a client of three flight-reservation systems, namely: Sabre, Galileo, and Amadeus.

A Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft was also leased briefly in 1996 to cope with a surge in passenger traffic during summer 1996. Flights to Beirut were resumed the same year as well before being discontinued a few years later. In 1999, PIA leased five Boeing 747-300 aircraft from Cathay Pacific to replace its Boeing 747-200M fleet. The aircraft were painted with a new livery, a handwork Pashmina tail, on white body and large Pakistan titles on the front fuselage. The livery was adopted in the early 90s but due to some copyright issues, it was dropped. The Boeing 747-300s continued to bear the new livery, but with a plain green tail with PIA titles. The other aircraft in the fleet were repainted in early 1990s livery.

PIA Boeing 747-300 on short final to London Heathrow International Airport, circa 2003.

PIA Boeing 777-200ER taking off from Manchester Airport, circa 2006.

The War in Afghanistan following the attacks on 11 September 2001 negatively impacted PIA's operations as Afghan airspace was closed.[45] However, following the restructuring of the airline under new management in April 2001, the airline again became profitable.[45] Cost per employee dropped 24% between 2000 and 2003, which lower engineering and maintenance costs lead to enhanced airline revenue.[45]

In July 2002, PIA purchased six Boeing 747-300 aircraft from Cathay Pacific, five of which were already on lease. The sixth one arrived shortly afterward and was used mainly on its North American and European routes. In October 2002, after ten years without any new orders, the airline placed an order for eight Boeing 777 aircraft. The order included all three variants of 777, i.e. three 777-200ER (Extended Range), two 777-200LR (Longer Range) and three 777-300ER versions. PIA was the launch customer that revived the Boeing 777-200LR project that, until then, only had three orders.

Boeing delivered the first of three 777-200ER aircraft to PIA in January 2004, and PIA introduced a new livery for the 777-200ERs that was applied to most of its fleet. PIA also leased six more Airbus A310-300 aircraft directly from Airbus. On 3 November 2005, PIA placed an order to purchase seven ATR 42-500 aircraft to replace its ageing fleet of Fokker F27 Friendships. On 10 November 2005, PIA used the 777-200LR to fly the world's longest flight by a commercial airliner, flying over 21,000 kilometers on an eastbound flight from Hong Kong to London for 22 hours and 22 minutes[15] - a record which still stands as of late 2019.[16] On 6 December 2005, PIA acquired another new Boeing 777-200ER on a ten-year lease. On 23 December 2006, PIA took delivery of its first Boeing 777-300ER. The remaining aircraft were delivered in January 2007.

On 25 February 2006, Boeing delivered its first 777-200LR to PIA. ATR delivered two of the seven ordered ATR 42s to PIA in May and December 2006 respectively, following which the airline ceased using military Lockheed C-130 Hercules for passenger services in northern areas of Pakistan. The military aircraft were being used after the PIA Flight 688 accident.

With the induction of long-range 777 aircraft in its fleet, PIA started offering non-stop flights from Toronto to Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore from 3 March 2006. PIA had also planned non-stop flights to New York City, Chicago, Washington, and Houston but was not permitted by US authorities (unless the airline implemented a European stopover on the flight to American cities) due to security concerns after 9/11.

A PIA flight from Multan crashed in July 2006, killing 45. A government inquiry afterward blamed aging aircraft for the crash.[46] Houston services also ended in 2006. Following the crash, on 5 March 2007, the European Commission banned all but 9 of PIA's 42-strong fleet from flying to Europe, citing safety concerns over its ageing aircraft.[47][48] The fleet of Boeing 777s was exempted from the ban,[49] but 15 aircraft were over 20 years old by this point.[50] PIA claimed that the ban was discriminatory and unjustifiable. On 26 March 2007, Tariq Saeed Kirmani was forced to resign after pressure from authorities because of the EU ban. Zafar Khan was then appointed as the new chairman of Pakistan International Airlines.

The ban on some of the aircraft was lifted after four months on 5 July 2007, following an inspection by the European Union Air Safety Administration. Of the eleven aircraft allowed to resume operations to the EU, five were Boeing 747-300s, and the remaining six were Airbus A310-300s. On 29 November 2007, the EU completely removed the ban, and PIA's entire fleet was permitted to fly to Europe.[51]

PIA ATR 42-500 in a Balochistan province tail livery on 14 November 2011.

In 2010, PIA altered its livery. The tail design was replaced with a much larger version of the Pakistan national flag and added the text "Pakistan International" in gold writing underneath the large billboard-style PIA on the fuselage. The green stripe was modified to include gold and was extended to the rear of the fuselage.

By 2011, PIA began to be unprofitable again, requiring government subsidies.[52] A combination of increased competition from Middle Eastern airlines, rising fuel prices, corporate mismanagement, and over-staffing contributed to PIAs sharp decrease in revenues.

In 2014, PIA leased four Boeing 737-800s. PIA also issued a request for tender for four Boeing 777-300ERs, however, the bids for the 777s were not accepted. The airline did lease Airbus A320 aircraft and inducted two A320-214s in its fleet in 2014. Another wet-leased A320-211s joined PIA on 11 August 2014. In October 2014, the airline again wet-leased three Boeing 737-800s, and it also accepted bids to dry lease five ATR 72–500s for eight years. In 2015, after serving PIA for 16 years, the last of PIA's Boeing 747-300s were phased out.

In early 2016, PIA was fundamentally grounded for an entire week as employees walked out en masse following the deaths of two employees in a demonstration against the airline's privatization.[53] In August 2016, PIA launched a new "Premier Service" for flights to London, using an Airbus A330-300 wet-leased from SriLankan Airlines.[54] The wet-lease period ended after six months, and as a result, the A330-300 was returned to SriLankan Airlines,[55] and the Premier Service discontinued. By the end of 2016, the airline was saddled with $3 billion in debt.[53]

In January 2017, PIA retired all of the Airbus A310-300s from its fleet. For replacement, PIA leased four Boeing 737-800s from Pegasus Airlines, which were returned later on completion of the lease period. After over 50 years of service, PIA service to New York ended in October 2017 as a result of TSA regulation preventing nonstop flights from Pakistan and the US,[56] leaving Toronto as PIA's only destination in North America - which continues to be served by nonstop flights from Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad.

In 2017, PIA decided to replace its reservation and ticketing system "Sabre" with a Turkish origin system called "Hitit". Both PIA & Hitit signed an agreement and in September 2018, the airline successfully switched to the new system.[57][58] At the end of 2018, the airline was burdened with $3.3 billion in debt, up from $2.97 the year before, and thus requiring government bailouts for continued operation.[59] With the demise of Shaheen Air, PIA launched routes that had previously been served only by Shaheen.[56]

New profitable routes were launched in 2019,[60] while profitable routes such as Karachi-Toronto saw increased frequencies.[61] six unprofitable routes were discontinued in 2019.[62] In April 2019, PIA claimed that its revenues almost matched operating costs.[63] Later that year following a visit of TSA officials to the Islamabad International Airport in July 2019, PIA expressed hope that non-stop flights to the US would be permitted.[64] In August 2019, PIA laid off 1,000 "redundant employees."[65] In September, PIA announced that it would lease additional aircraft to increase the airline's fleet to 37 by 2020,[66] and 45 by 2023.[67] By the end of 2019, PIA reported a 41% increase in year-on-year revenue due to discontinuation of unprofitable routes, reintroduction of grounded aircraft, and a sharp increase in the airline cargo space utilization.[68]

For the first time in its history, PIA operated a relief flight from Lahore to Melbourne, Australia, during the COVID-19 pandemic.[69]

On 22 May 2020, a PIA Airbus A320-214 AP-BLD, crashed near Karachi airport with 99 people on board. The flight was en route to Karachi from Lahore. Flight PK8303, carrying 91 passengers and 8 crew members on board, crashed while on the descent towards the runway of Jinnah International Airport, killing 97 while 2 passengers survived. The cause of the crash is unknown, pending an inquiry.[70]

The validity of CAA and PIA additionally endured a monstrous shot when the International Air Transport Association (IATA) communicated worry over the "genuine slip by authorizing and safety oversight by the aviation controller".[71]

On 24 June, Pakistani aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan told Parliament that 262 of Pakistan's 860 active, licensed pilots had been found to have suspicious or fake licences. They were suspected of having paid someone else to take there certification examination on there behalf. Subsequently PIA grounded 150 of its 434 Pilots on suspicion of having a bogus license.[72][73][74]

Pakistan International Airlines' head office, located in Lahore

Pakistan International Airlines Corporation Limited (PIACL) is majority-owned by the Government of Pakistan (86%) while the remainder (14%) by private shareholders. The airline is under the administration of Aviation Division and is managed by President & chief executive officer as well as the board of directors.

The Board consists of nine independent non-executive members and has four sub-committees: an Audit Committee, Brand and Advertising Committee, Finance Committee, and Human Resource Committee each having its charter and chairman. The President & chief executive officer leads the executive management of staff who run the airline. The airline's main headquarters are located at Karachi,[75] while smaller subhead offices are located in several cities within Pakistan.

In the late 1990s, the Government of Pakistan considered selling the airline to the private sector due to the persistent losses suffered by the airline. The government announced its privatisation plans but they were never implemented. Several steps towards outsourcing of non-core business have been initiated. Catering units (starting with Karachi Flight Kitchen), ground handling (starting with ramp services) and engineering, are to be gradually carved out of the airline and operated as independent companies. During 1997, Pakistan called in a team from International Finance (IFC), the consulting arm of the World Bank, to advise on restructuring and privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). However, no agreement was reached.[76] The government has had many plans for the privatisation of the State-owned airline. However, no reasonable agreement or solution has been found to this day. On 18 February 2009, the carrier was dropped from the privatisation list. [77]

In 2013, the Government of Pakistan once again aimed to privatise the airline due to increased losses by selling twenty-six percent of shares & management control to the investor. This plan was dropped due to heavy protest by airline unions and associations in which two employees were killed when security forces were tasked to stop the protesters for their movement towards Jinnah International Airport terminal building.

In 2018, the newly elected government aimed not to privatise the entity and make it a profitable through the change in its top management.[78]

In 2011, PIA began to be unprofitable, requiring government subsidies.[52] A combination of increased competition from Middle Eastern airlines, rising fuel prices, corporate mismanagement, and over-staffing contributed to PIAs sharp decrease in revenues. By the end of 2016, the airline was saddled with $3 billion in debt.[53] At the end of 2018, the airline was burdened with $3.3 billion in debt, up from $2.97 the year before, and thus requiring government bail outs for continued operation.[59] In April 2019, PIA claimed that its revenues almost matched operating costs.[63] An audit in September 2019 revealed that PIA had operated 46 empty flights between 2016 and 2017, without any passengers causing a loss of $1.1 million to the airline. Additionally, 36 Hajj flights were also running without any passengers.[79] By the end of 2019, PIA reported a 41% increase in year-on-year revenue due to discontinuation of unprofitable routes, reintroduction of idle aircraft, and a sharp increase in the airline cargo space utilization.[68]

The airline faces many challenges to its profitability. PIA is considered one of the cheapest airlines.[80] Pakistan faces what has been termed "capacity dumping" by Middle East airlines, who operate numerous daily flights to every major city in Pakistan.[56] Pakistan's Open Skies Agreement with the UAE, for example, allows Emirati airlines an unlimited number of seats into Karachi, with Emirates airlines alone operating up to seven daily flights to Karachi from Dubai on high-capacity Boeing 777s.[56] PIA also discontinued previously profitable routes to the US, as the TSA forbade nonstop flights from Pakistan to the US, and instead required costly diversions to European airports for immigration clearance - resulting in flight times that were significantly longer than flights on Middle Eastern airlines.[56] New routes such as to Najaf and Thailand also did not improve the airline's finances given the seasonality of those destinations.[56] Further, staffing levels and overall management issues, including an employee count of 18,014 in 2010 for a fleet of 40 aircraft,[81][82] present further challenges - although in August 2019, PIA laid off 1,000 "redundant employees."[65]

In 2010, PIA carried 1,454,000 kg of mail - in 2013, PIA managed just 648,000 kg of mail. Additionally, PIA's revenue from excess baggage, passenger load factor, and passenger kilometre flow have been declining steadily.[85]

Passenger Traffic

Year	Revenue Passengers (Million)	Passenger Load Factor	Average Passenger Stage Distance (Statute KM)
2014	4,202	72	2,833
2013	4,449	70	2,751
2012	5.236	70	2,650
2011	5.953	72	2,631
2010	5.538	74	2,827
2009	5.535	70	2,510
2008	5.617	71	2,479
2007	5.415	67	2,527
2006	5.732	69	2,639
2005	5.499	70	2,638

In 2011, about 81% of revenue was from passenger traffic and only 5% from cargo. Another 7.8% was from food and beverage sales. The remaining 6% was from various sources such as excess baggage charges, air charter services, aircraft maintenance engineering services, ground handling and related services, and carriage of mail.[82]

PIA has Codeshare agreements with the following airlines:[86][87]

PIA have Interline agreements with the following airlines:[86]

PIA have Cargo Special Pro-rate Agreements agreements with the following airlines: [88]

A Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A320-200 painted in a '60s retro livery at Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore

A PIA Boeing 777-200ER painted in a 1960s retro livery and acquired from Vietnam Airlines

As of June 2020, the Pakistan International Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:[89][90]

PIA operates a three-class configuration on its domestic routes: Business, Executive Economy and Economy. On international flights, a two-class configuration (Executive Economy and Economy class) has been introduced since January 2019. PIA has retained Business class-only on domestic flights operated by Boeing 777s. PIA Business and Executive Economy passengers are offered recliner seats on all Boeing 777 aircraft. Seats with more legroom and vacant middle seat are offered in Executive Economy on board the Airbus A320 aircraft. In Economy class, all passengers on the Boeing 777 are offered seats with 30-inch legroom and personal entertainment screens in a 3-3-3 configuration. On the Airbus A320, fabric-covered seats in a 3–3 configuration are offered.

Breakfast in Executive Economy of Pakistan International Airlines.

PIA Catering is the main supplier of meals for the airline at Islamabad and Karachi. It can produce 15,000 passenger meals each day. In 2006, the management of the flight kitchens was given to Singapore Air Terminal Services (SATS). This agreement ended in 2011 and PIA is managing the Flight Kitchens in Karachi and Islamabad itself. As of April 2019, an MOU was signed between PIA and McDonald's for the airlines catering. PIA Catering provides special meals to allow for passengers' dietary and religious needs. No alcoholic beverages and pork are served on board due to Islamic law.[96]

PIA Premier was launched as a luxury air service on 14 August 2016. An Airbus A330 aircraft was initially wet-leased from SriLankan Airlines to operate the service.[54] There were six weekly flights to London, three each from Islamabad and Lahore.[97] PIA ended the service due to losses and the A330 was returned to SriLankan.

The PIA in-flight magazine, Humsafar (Urdu for "travel companion"), is provided to all passengers on all flights. Humsafar was introduced in 1980 and is printed and published bi-monthly.

Pakistan International Airlines was the first international airline to introduce entertainment system showing a regularly scheduled film on board in the year 1962.[98][99] Up to date, most of PIA's long haul fleet in-flight entertainment is currently unusable and the system went haywire. PIA is currently repairing it.

In January 2017, the airline began trials on an on-board internet system to deliver in-flight entertainment on some domestic flights. The system allows passengers to access a selection of in-flight entertainment content using their own mobile devices.[100] PIA offers personal screens on Boeing 777 flights with in-flight movies, music and TV shows. The Boeing 777 IFE also features an inflight map and air show. Selected A320s feature drop-down screens with in-flight map and air-show.

PIA Awards Plus+ is the frequent flyer program. The program allows passengers to get free tickets, excess baggage vouchers, cabin upgrades, and a variety of rewards, special deals, and discounts. Awards Plus+ has three tiers of membership – Emerald, Sapphire, and Diamond. Awards Plus+ miles can be earned by flying PIA and by using the products and services of PIA's partners.

The Precision Engineering Complex (PEC) includes the following facilities:

PIA provides ground handling services to the following airlines:

PIA operates private charter flights using ATR 42s to Bhit, Kadanwari and Sehwan Sharif in Sindh as well as to other parts of the country for oil and gas companies and other customers. Ad hoc charters for United Nations peacekeeping troops are also carried out to Africa and Eastern Europe, Asia (South Korea, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, East Timor) and many other international destinations; PIA Charter Team provides these services.

PIA operates a two-month (pre- and post-) Hajj operation each year to and from Saudi Arabia. PIA transported over 100,000 intending pilgrims each year to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia until its fleet shrank to 25 aircraft in 2011–2012. Since then, the airline's Hajj quota was reduced to 60,00 to 70,000 pilgrims by the then government.

Callsign "PAKISTAN 001" carrying the President on PIA's Boeing 707. Photographed at Munich Airport in West Germany, circa 1961

PIA has been continuously serving government officials of Pakistan and has always transported the President and Prime Minister on overseas visits. During the late 1990s, a PIA Boeing 737-300[112] was used for official visits by the Bhutto and Sharif governments. The aircraft wore official government colours but was later repainted in the airline official colours at the end of the decade. When the government changed after a military coup in 1999, the Boeing 737-300 was transferred to PIA permanently. The President and Prime Minister then resorted to using two of PIA's Airbus A310-300s for official visits, while rare trips were done on regular commercial flights of the airline. In February 2007 the government of Qatar gifted an Airbus A310 from its VIP fleet[113] to the Pakistani government; this ended the need for the use of PIA aircraft. However, from time to time the government uses one of the airline's Airbus A320s, or occasionally a Boeing 777, for official trips.[114]

PIA Model Secondary School or PIAMSS simply known as PIA Model School is a single-gender education school in PIA Township, operated by Pakistan International Airlines located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. The PIA Model Secondary School was set up in 1980 to provide high quality education to the children of PIA employees at an affordable fee.