Rayyan Air acquires PIA aircraft for Pak-Urumchi cargo flights

KARACHI: The national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and Rayyan Air have signed an agreement under which the former will provide its Boeing-777 aircraft to the latter to operate cargo flights between 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 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.

Read More: PIA ends allowances for cabin crew

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, the PIA is 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 elaborated.