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Abu Dhabi: Pakistan's private airline AirBlue on Sunday launched its commercial services to Abu Dhabi from Lahore. The airline will initially operate four flights a week on the route, according to senior executives.
A 145-seat Airbus A319 from Lahore touched down at Abu Dhabi International Airport at noon, making the UAE capital AirBlue's second destination in the UAE.
"For the next three weeks, we are offering a 90 per cent discount on the basic fare on the Lahore-Abu Dhabi route.
"We intend to mainly cater to an estimated 300,000-strong Pakistani expatriate population living in Abu Dhabi," Sarosh Bhatti, AirBlue's general manager for marketing, told reporters.
"In the next three months, the airline will start two to three flights a week from Al Ain to Pesh-awar and two daily flights from Abu Dhabi to Islamabad, Lahore and Pesha-war," Bhatti said.
Reacting to media reports that Airblue was denied access to Sharjah International Airport despite being given permission last month to use it as a base for 14 weekly flights, Bhatti said there were issues between Sharjah civil aviation and Pakistan civil aviation authorities, which, he expected, will be resolved soon.
He didn't, however, elaborate on the issues.
Bhatti said he was hopeful that in the foreseeable future, AirBlue will be able operate flights from Pakistan to Sharjah.
Bhatti said AirBlue currently has a fleet of eight aircraft comprising two A319s, three A320s and three A321s - and by the end of next year the size of its fleet will increase to 22 aircraft.
He said AirBlue has placed orders for 14 new aircraft - all A320s - whose deliveries are slated to begin towards the end of this year.
AirBlue, which started commercial operations in June 2004, currently operates flights to seven destinations in Pakistan. It has also been flying to Manchester and Dubai.
Bhatti said AirBlue plans to launch flights from Pakistan to Birmingham, Muscat, Kuwait and New Delhi later this year and to Oslo, Copenhagen and Malaysia next year.
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