Shaheen Air international welcomed the newest member into its fleet on on Saturday 29th April 2017. The Airbus A319 is leased from the leasing giant AERCAP. The plane is 11.5 years old Ex Turkish Airlines with registration TC-JLO) and now registered as (AP-BNL) for Shaheen Air Intl. The aircraft has been dry leased by Shaheen Air Intl. Now we have to see how many days Pakistan Civil Aviation will take to clear this aircraft to fly.
Fleet of Shaheen Air Intl is growing rapidly and it now consists of 8 A320-200s, 4 A330-200s and 4 A319-100s. There are 3 more A319-100s on order Shaheen Air plans to take its fleet to 19 by mid-2017. The Airbus A319 has been custom-fitted with thin and linear seats to provide added comfort to passengers. Due to this, it can accommodate around 150 passengers in its all-economy segment. This aircraft perfectly suits Shaheen on trunk routes and will also be ideal for Socio Economic Routes if the airlines is planning to open some in the future. AP-BNL supports new livery of Shaheen which the airlines has revised with the arrival of first A319-100.
It is important to mention here that the airline recently retired 03 A330-300s and it will be retiring some of its older A320s in coming days. Faisalabad being the next focus city will have 3 international routes and 1 domestic route. The newly inducted Airbus A319-100 will help Shaheen Air to operate routes from the city.
Upon the induction of the new aircraft, Zohaib Hassan, Chief Marketing Officer, Shaheen Air International remarked,“The addition of the fourth Airbus in to our fleet is a testament to our commitment towards our passengers and the local aviation industry. Fleet expansion allows us to grow internationally by way of new routes, while also increasing frequency of local flights. Moreover, it ensures our passengers enjoy the experience of flying with us.”