PIA - Pakistan International Airlines (PK, Islamabad International) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bernd Hildenbrand says the carrier is considering setting up a separate dedicated unit to cater specifically to Hajj and Umrah operations.
He made the comments during a recent Karachi Rotary Club press event where he also alluded to plans to increase PIA's fleet to sixty aircraft by 2020.
The national carrier transported around 52,000 passengers from several Pakistani cities to Saudi Arabia during this year's Hajj, the CEO said. Several thousand more are expected to make the Umrah pilgrimage wherein pilgrims are ferried to Jeddah International.
This year, PIA used its own fleet of aircraft, including its soon to be retired A310-300 fleet, to handle Hajj traffic.
