Virgin Atlantic Airways allowed to operate between Pakistan and UK

ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to allow Virgin Atlantic Airways to operate between Pakistan and United Kingdom, official sources told Business Recorder.

Great Britain & Northern Ireland (UK) and Pakistan initially signed Airport Services Association (ASA) on 29 May 1974 which was superseded by another ASA on September 14, 1999. On 25th January 2008, a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) was signed between the two countries and a new draft ASA was initialed which was subsequently given administrative effect on 25th January 2010. In all, signed and initialed ASAs, Pakistan and UK are entitled to designate multiple airlines on the agreed routes.

Presently, British Airways is the designated airline of UK while PIACL, Air Blue and Shaheen Air are the designated airlines of Pakistan. UK has now designated Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd to operate the agreed services on specified routes in accordance with the bilateral ASA between Pakistan and UK.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs has no objection to the proposed flight operation of Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited to Pakistan.

Virgin Atlantic is a British airline established in 1984 with its head office situated in Crawley, England, comprising mixed fleet operations by aircraft types - Airbus and Boeing wide-body. It operates to destinations' in North America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East and Asia from its main base at Heathrow with secondary base at Manchester. The request of UK to designate Virgin Atlantic Airways to operate scheduled air services between Pakistan and UK is in line with the terms enunciated in the ASA. The Government of Pakistan is the competent authority to accept requests for such designations.

Aviation Division has proposed that designation of Virgin Atlantic Airways to operate agreed services between Pakistan and UK may be accepted.

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