According to him, the new Islamabad airport has been the focus of the aviation industry of Pakistan and in particular, Punjab, as the brand new facility nears its much anticipated completion. Local and international airlines are optimistic about the prospects of operating at the new airport and rightly so, considering the massive reported total investment of around Rs 82 billion.
"The new Islamabad airport will be very beneficial for the aviation industry in Punjab," said Alsafi, a UAE national, stationed at the airline's Islamabad office since March this year, managing operations in Islamabad, Multan, Peshawar and Sialkot. "The current Islamabad airport has a limited capacity and that limits flight frequencies. So once the new airport becomes functional, it will allow airlines to increase flight frequencies and improve their product offerings from Islamabad. I think it will add tremendously to aviation in Punjab and even in Pakistan overall," he said.
He was particularly excited about the prospect of Emirates operating at the new airport. "Emirates believes in offering value for money to its customers. The new airport will add more value to the travel experience of customers, travelling to and from Pakistan with Emirates. The new airport will have better facilities like check-ins, lounges and immigration areas along with upgraded equipment for security checks, baggage handling and other operations. All of this will surely make the experience of travelling much better for Pakistani passengers," he said.
"It will also help facilitate our cargo operations better. Pakistan is a major exporter of food perishables and we are pleased that we are facilitating trade with our Emirates SkyCargo services to Pakistani exporters. Better facilities at the new airport will help us in ensuring that perishables and other cargo can reach out to destinations around the world from Pakistan safe and sound. As an integral part of Pakistan's aviation industry, we look forward to getting started at the new airport in Islamabad," he further said.
Talking about the chances of operating the A380 aircraft at the new airport, Alsafi said that Emirates is yet to carry out the inspection at the new facility for A380 compatibility; however, the Civil Aviation Authority has assured the airline that it will be compatible. "We cannot comment yet on whether we will be starting A380 operations in Pakistan or not. Our A380 service is second to none - Emirates has the highest A380 fleet in the world and for now, Pakistani customers can enjoy our A380 services from Dubai and beyond," Husain Alsafi maintained.
Emirates currently operates 71 weekly flights in six cities in Pakistan including 35 weekly flights to Karachi, 5 to Peshawar, 10 each to Lahore and Islamabad, 7 to Sialkot and 4 weekly flights to Multan. The Dubai based airline has been operating in Pakistan for over 30 years now, undeterred by the vulnerable security situation and political instability in the region.
"Every region has its own set of challenges," said Alsafi. "Our primary objective is always to ensure that the airline provides world class travel services to our customers in the face of all the challenges. Of course, political and security challenges do impact the business in the country but that does not deter us. Every market has its ups and downs but what important is that we continue to maintain the standards of our products and services and offer utmost safety and security to our customers. The passenger numbers have been steadily increasing over the past four years and we have experienced phenomenal growth. We're happy with where we stand right now in Pakistan and aim to continue that in the future as well."
Several airlines recently concluded their Hajj operations in Pakistan and Emirates Airline was an important player in that sector. Shedding light on the airline's performance during Hajj operations in the Pakistan market, Alsafi said: "This year, over 20,000 pilgrims travelled for Hajj with us from around the world. Pakistan has always been a very important market for Emirates during the Hajj season and it was no different this year with Karachi being one of the top inbound destinations for us during Hajj. We operated 26 additional flights to Jeddah from August 17 to September 11 to help serve the 2 million pilgrims who travelled to Makkah during Hajj this year. These services were run in parallel with Emirates' regularly scheduled services to Jeddah."
"There was a sizeable increase in demand for air travel during Hajj and we tried to make the journey as seamless as possible for the scores of pilgrims making their way to Makkah. Our aim was to provide all our customers with the best experience in line with their faith, particularly at that significant time and important journey," Husain Alsafi added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2017