Pakistan International Airlines
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is the national flag carrier of Pakistan. With its primary hub at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, the airline also operates from its secondary hubs at Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore and at Islamabad International Airport. Until its privatization in 2025, the airline was managed and operated as a state-owned enterprise under Aviation Division of the federal Government of Pakistan. Founded on 29 October 1946 by Mirza Ishpahani and Adamjee Dawood as Orient Airways, the airline was initially private entity and based in Calcutta in British India, before shifting operations to the newly independent state of Pakistan in August 1947. Soon, the Orient Airways was nationalized to form the Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (PIAC). The airline commenced international services in 1955 to London, via Cairo and Rome. In 1964, it became the first non-Communist airline to fly to China. PIA assisted in the establishment of Emirates in 1985 and became the launch customer of the Boeing 777-200LR in 2004. On 10 November 2005, PIA completed the world's longest nonstop commercial passenger flight using a Boeing 777-200LR, flying eastbound from Hong Kong to London in 22 hours and 22 minutes. PIA is Pakistan's largest airline and operates a fleet of 32 aircraft, Mostly various Boeing 777 types, Airbus A320 and ATR aircraft. The airline operates a frequent flyer program, Awards +Plus. It is not part of any airline alliance.
Key facts
History
Pakistan International Airlines can trace its origins to the days when Pakistan had not gained independence and was still part of the British Raj until 1947. In the early 1930s, Imperial Airways operated its long-haul routes by creating a lot of small airports across Africa and Asia. The Handley Page H.P.42 aircraft was Imperial Airways' first major success, as it was specially designed to handle operations from unprepared ground.
In 1945, the country's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah recognised the need for a flag carrier for the future nation and sought financial help from wealthy businessmen Mirza Ahmad Ispahani and Adamjee Haji Dawood. As a result, the new airline, Orient Airways, was registered in Kolkata (then known as Calcutta) on 23 October 1946. Orient became the first and only Muslim-owned airline in the British Raj.
In February 1947, the airline bought three Douglas DC-3 aircraft and obtained a licence to fly in May of the same year. The airline started its operations on 30 June 1947, offering services in British India from Calcutta to Sittwe and Rangoon (present-day Yangon).
Its airports
Its main hubs
Airports that list it on their own website
These airports include this airline in the carrier list on their official website.
Other airports in its network
Route network according to OpenFlights (open route database). It may not reflect recent schedule changes.
Data from Wikidata (CC0) · summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Cite
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This page was last updated on September 26, 2026
APA
Vuelopedia. (2026, September 26). Pakistan International Airlines. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/airline/pakistan-international-airlines
MLA
“Pakistan International Airlines.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 26 Sept. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/airline/pakistan-international-airlines. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.
Chicago
Vuelopedia. “Pakistan International Airlines.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified September 26, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/airline/pakistan-international-airlines.
Harvard
Vuelopedia (2026) Pakistan International Airlines. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/airline/pakistan-international-airlines (Accessed: 16 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{vuelopedia_en_airline_pakistan_international_airlines,
author = {{Vuelopedia}},
title = {{Pakistan International Airlines}},
publisher = {Fundación Poderia},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-09-26},
url = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/airline/pakistan-international-airlines},
howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/airline/pakistan-international-airlines}},
urldate = {2026-10-16},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}Wikipedia
{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/airline/pakistan-international-airlines |title=Pakistan International Airlines |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-09-26 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}Types it operates · 41 aircraft · 3 models
Pick a model to see its aircraft.
