Being one of many Airlines that applied for the Regular Public Transport License, Liberty Air has been granted charter license to start domestic flight operations in Pakistan. The License was issued by the Federal government, during a cabinet meeting headed by Prime Minister Imran Khan.Â
There were five other airlines which had applied for this license about a year back. These included Air Siyal, Askari Air, Go Green, Liberty Air and Afeef Zara Airways. In addition to these developments, the government granted permission to SaudiGulf Airlines to start operations in the highly lucrative Pak-Saudia route just last month.
Its important to note that any new Airline Company must operate domestic flights for at least two years, before they are allowed to start flying people on international routes. Pakistan’s aviation industry has been booming, with an expected growth of 9% per year, stated by forecasts by the International Air Transport Association. At the same time there are reports which show Air Traffic in Pakistan to be up by 40% in the last 5 years.
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There is no word on which routes Liberty Air will be covering. But there is some speculation that it will look to operate in under served cities that have huge potential like Chitral, Gwadar, Turbat, Skardu and Muzaffarabad. In conclusion, with the entry of more airline companies into the Pakistani market, we expect there to be competition leading to better experiences and hopefully better air ticket rates.Â
