In an important development in adding eight narrow-body planes to the Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) fleet on lease, different companies have offered the airline not eight, but 128 planes, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Friday.

The national flag carrier management had placed an advertisement for the purpose.

Giving the reason for such an unexpected response from the firms, the sources said this was due to the fact that the PIA had told the firms that it wanted to take eight planes for a six-year lease period.

Giving another reason for such an overwhelming response, the sources said these days aviation industry was in crisis on account of the coronavirus pandemic, and the situation was likely to benefit the national flag carrier more in future.

Now the PIA will be able to get these planes on better lease rates.

The planes offered to the airline are airbus A-320, A-321, A-320 New and Boeing 737.

A-320 new planes are still in demand in the aviation these days.

The PIA is soon to return six planes which it had taken on lease.