In an important upgrade for Pakistan’s aviation journey, Airblue receives its first A321neo aircraft. This makes Airblue Pakistan’s first airline to operate the A321neo aircraft.
Airblue revealed the news on its official Twitter account.
“Airblue team is ready to bring the first Airbus A321neo home. Get ready, the bird is arriving,” the tweet read.
Airblue team is ready to bring the first Airbus A321neo home.
Get ready, the bird is arriving. #airblue #flyingredefined #airbus #AirbusA321neo #a321neo #A321neo #neo #arrivingsoon #a321 #airblueteam #cominghome pic.twitter.com/9m9PfeQjlz— Airblue (@airblueairline) October 14, 2021
Currently, Airblue operates domestic flights to Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, and Multan and to international destinations in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. However, with the A321neo, it can easily expand its network.
Leased from GE Capital Aviation Services, the A321 neo aircraft contains CFM International’s LEAP-1A engines. The aircraft is also highly fuel-efficient. As a result, it will reduce Airblue’s operating costs.
Furthermore, it will offer exceptional technical, economic, and environmental performance by incorporating the latest engines, aerodynamic advances, and cabin innovations.
“Airblue’s A321neo is configured with 235 seats in an all-economy class cabin. Passengers on-board the aircraft will benefit from the widest cabin of any single-aisle aircraft, stand-alone Off Seat Power Supply system and Wireless Content Distribution,” Airbus statement said.
Read more: Three new airlines to start operations in Pakistan
Pakistan to open up to new destinations?
With the new aircraft variant, chances are that Pakistan’s flight network will expand. This is an interesting development since Pakistan offers direct international flights to limited destinations. And those flights are often to the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Moreover, Pakistan’s national flag carrier faces sanctions from the EU due to pilots’ dubious licenses. While Airblue is a private airline, it also faces the brunt.
Read more: PIA inducts two new A320s into its fleet