PIA, Ryanair sign agreement for Urumchi

Gwadar Pro

Karachi: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and Ireland’s Ryanair have signed an agreement under which the former will provide its Boeing-777 aircraft to the latter to operate cargo flights between Iron Brother China’s Urumchi city and Pakistan.

According to the agreement, the aircraft will operate on this route for four months.

A spokesperson for the national airline said Saturday evening the PIA cut down on its flights owing to travel restrictions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, which rendered many of its planes idle.

“It, therefore, converted its Boeing 777 passenger aircraft into a cargo plane and leased it out to the foreign airline,” he added.

This aircraft has the capacity to carry 52 tonnes of cargo. Pakistan will export dry fruit, including pine nuts, to China through this flight.

Besides, the spokesperson said, the PIA was entering into strategic partnerships like other airlines in the crisis-hit aviation industry. Such union is aimed to benefit from each other’s experiences and share resources, he added.