A working committee constituted by the Punjab government submitted its initial report with key administrative and financial steps now in progress to operationalize the province’s first air carrier, Air Punjab, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Wednesday.
The initial estimated cost of the project is between Rs10 to Rs15 billion. Five new A-320 aircraft will be leased for Air Punjab.
An amount of Rs3.75 million will be spent on acquiring one aircraft. The lease of five aircraft will cost up to Rs6.3 billion annually
The pilots will get salaries between Rs15,00,000 to Rs25,00,000. During the first phase, Punjab Air will operate flights between Lahore to Dubai, Jeddah, and Karachi.
The domestic fare of the Airline will be Rs15,000, Dubai Rs40,000, and Jeddah Rs50,000.
The working committee recommended a partnership with the private sector for the launch of the airline.
Air Punjab will start operations by September 2026.
The government had earlier approved the creation of Air Punjab to enhance regional connectivity and support domestic air transport.