The private airline Serene Air has been given permission to operate flights to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
The approval was given by the federal cabinet and the Aviation Division to start its flights for Jeddah, Riyadh, Dubai, and Sharjah in January 2021.
Serene Air is a privately owned airline registered in Pakistan, starting its domestic operations in January 2017. The airline’s head office is in the Moiz Center in Markaz, Islamabad. It is expected to commence operations on 29 January 2017.
Serene Air was first granted a license by Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in October 2016. It is the fourth domestic airline in Pakistan, alongside Pakistan International Airlines, Shaheen Air, and Airblue.
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The airline will use the new Airbus A330 and Boeing 777 aircraft for operating its flights to Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Saudi Arabia has granted Serene Air permission
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation has also permitted operations of Serene Air to begin and start its flights to Jeddah and Riyadh.
Serene Air has also sought permission from relevant authorities to operate flights to China and the United Kingdom and its applications are still under process. The said flights will surely spread awareness how to live well in the world in the midst of pandemic.
The airline had started its domestic operation four years ago.
@SereneAirPak @Airbus A330 – 202 AP-BNE approaching #OPIS#Islamabad #pakistan
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.#aviation #Airbus #a330 #ranasuhaib pic.twitter.com/jRioNEGpo3— Rana Suhaib | Pakistan (@RanaSuhaibphoto) December 18, 2020
The notification that granted Serene Air permission to fly international flights said: “The designation of Serene Air to the UAE and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has been accepted by the respective aeronautical authorities; Serene may like to submit its operational plan for commencement of international operations to and from the UAE and KSA to the CAA.
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“Formal flight schedule be submitted through Air Transport Flight Management at an appropriate time when Serene Air is ready to commence international flight operation for the KSA and UAE.”
A senior official of Serene Air told the news source that the airline’s offices in Jeddah and Riyadh had already been established. The offices in Dubai and Sharjah will also be set up soon.
“Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the process of operating international flights was delayed, but it would be started in January 2021,” the senior official said.
Meanwhile, the CAA has taken notice of violation of its orders regarding following the approved slots to ensure effective compliance with Covid-19 SOPs at different airports across the country.
The EU has still not lifted its ban
In a directive to the all-schedule landing airlines, the CAA director of air transport said that it had been reported by the airport managements of different locations that airlines are still reluctant to adhere to the approved slots finalized and approved by the Air Transport Directorate of CAA. It is causing congestion and also hampering the effective implementation of Covid-19 SOPs.
The CAA directed the airlines to ensure strict adherence to approved slots and in case of change of plus/minus 15 minutes in slot timings, prior coordination must be made with the respective airport management, otherwise, strict action will be taken against airlines.
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European Union has said that it is not lifting the ban on Pakistan International Airlines’ flights earlier this month as the flag carrier was not able to meet some conditions.
The suspension, imposed by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), took effect on July 1, 2020, after it came to light that pilots possessed “fake” licenses, as put by the aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar.
GVS News Desk