To promote tourism to the country, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) has granted a Tourism, Promotion, and Regional Integration (TPRI) commercial license to startup Kashmir Air (Karachi International) following the earlier approval of licenses to fellow nascent carriers Alvir Airways and North Air (Pakistan) and established charter carrier, Aircraft Sales & Services (ASSL), according to an announcement on its website on November 5.
The airlines would operate from three hubs - Karachi International, Islamabad International, and Lahore International - to tourist spots like Gilgit, Skardu, Gwadar, Turbat, and Mohenjadaro.
The PCAA issued the licences to boost tourism and regional integration in line with the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, it said on social media.
Neither Kashmir Air nor North Air have announced a start date yet. Kashmir Air's website is not yet functional but says its "goal is to connect remote areas of Pakistan with major cities". The website shows a rendering of an ATR72.
Alvir Airways Chief Executive Officer Tehseen Awan informed ch-aviation the launch date for the airline was March 23, 2022, but gave no further details. As reported earlier, Alvir Airways already received its TPRI license on July 12, valid for five years until June 2026. The carrier intends to lease two Embraer jets - one E195 and one E145 - for operations from Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore to Gwadar, Skardu, and Turbat.
North Air received its TPRI approval in May to serve Gilgit, Skardu, Chitral, and Gwadar.
According to its social media posts, ASSL operated weekly "air safaris" between Karachi and Mohenjadaro in February using a Beech 1900D. It was also advertising flights from Karachi to Gwadar in May. According to the ch-aviation fleets module, the company also operates a DHC-6-400. Its charter fleet comprises Challengers, Cessna (twin turboprop) Caravan II F406s, and Piper (single piston) Matrix PA-46R-350Ts according to its website.
