PIA - Pakistan International Airlines (PK, Islamabad International) has launched a new business plan which includes growing the fleet by seven aircraft, expanding the number of direct routes from 50 to 57 and aims to restore the carrier's profitability by 2022 or earlier, the Pakistan Observer has reported.

Under the V1 plan, the Pakistani flag carrier will seek to increase its fleet from the current thirty-six aircraft to forty-three by 2022, although it is unclear what types the airline wants to add. According to the ch-aviation fleets module, PIA currently operates fifteen A320-200s (including four aircraft wet-leased from VietJetAir (VJ, Hanoi Noi Bai International)), four ATR 42-500s, five ATR-72-500s, six B777-200(ER)s, two B777-200(LR)s, and four B777-300(ER)s.

The airline also targets to double revenues and achieve a PKR6 billion (USD54.2 million) operating profit by 2022. In 2016, PIA posted a PKR45 billion net loss.

The V1 plan was approved by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on December 30, 2017.

According to the ch-aviation capacity module, the Pakistani flag carrier is currently by far the largest operator in the country, operating 670 weekly departures, 42% of all. Its largest domestic competitor is Shaheen Air International (Karachi International), which operates 185 weekly departures out of all Pakistani airports.