Airblue facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Airblue

An Airblue Airbus A321neo plane
Founded	2003; 22 years ago (2003)
Commenced operations	18 June 2004; 21 years ago (2004-06-18)
Operating bases	Abu Dhabi Dubai–International Islamabad Jeddah Karachi Lahore
Frequent-flyer program	Blue Miles
Subsidiaries	Airbahn (never started operations)
Fleet size	12
Destinations	22
Headquarters	Islamabad Stock Exchange Towers Islamabad-44000, Pakistan
Key people	Tariq Chaudhary (Founder & CEO)

Airblue Limited, which styles its name as airblue, is a private airline from Pakistan. This means it is owned by people and companies, not by the government. Its main office is in the Islamabad Stock Exchange Towers in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.

Airblue has regular flights to cities within Pakistan and also flies to other countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The Story of Airblue

The airline was started in 2003 by Tariq Chaudhary, a Pakistani-American who worked in technology. Airblue's first flights took off on June 18, 2004. It began with three leased Airbus A320 planes. These planes flew between Pakistan's biggest cities: Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. The Prime Minister of Pakistan at the time, Zafarullah Khan Jamali, was there to celebrate the airline's first flight.

In its first year, Airblue became very popular. It was a strong competitor for Pakistan's main government-owned airline, Pakistan International Airlines. Over 400,000 people flew with Airblue in its first year, and its planes were usually more than 90% full. Soon, the airline added more cities in Pakistan to its routes, like Peshawar and Quetta.

Flying to Other Countries

On August 14, 2005, Airblue had its first international flight, which went from Karachi to Dubai. A few years later, on June 4, 2007, the airline started flying to Manchester in England. Because of the long distance, the plane had to make a quick stop in Turkey to refuel before continuing to Manchester.

In 2012, Airblue started using bigger Airbus A340 planes. This allowed them to fly to Manchester without stopping. They also started flying to Birmingham, another city in the U.K. However, they stopped using these bigger planes and ended the U.K. flights in 2014.

Where Does Airblue Fly?

The Islamabad Stock Exchange Towers, where Airblue has its main office.

As of 2018, Airblue flies to several cities. Here is a list of its destinations.

Some places Airblue used to fly to include Manchester and Birmingham in the U.K., and Istanbul and Trabzon in Turkey.

Services for Passengers

Inside an Airblue Airbus A320 plane.

The seating inside an Airblue Airbus A321.

Inside the Plane

All of Airblue's planes have an all-economy cabin. The seats are set up in a 3-by-3 pattern, with three seats on each side of the aisle. For entertainment, there are video screens that hang from the ceiling. The airline used to have a separate business class section but removed it.

Easy Ticketing

Airblue was the first airline in Pakistan to offer modern ways to get tickets and check in. It introduced e-ticketing, which lets you have your ticket on your phone or computer instead of on paper. It also set up wireless check-in and self-check-in machines at the airport.

Blue Miles Program

Airblue has a rewards program for people who fly with them often. It's called "Blue Miles." When you sign up for free, you can start earning miles. After you collect enough miles, you can get special cards, like the Blue Card and the Platinum Card, which give you more benefits.

Cargo Service

Airblue also transports goods and packages, not just people. It has an e-Cargo service that allows companies to book space for their freight online. This service is available for routes in Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.

Airblue's Fleet of Airplanes

Current Planes

As of December 2024, these are the planes that Airblue uses for its flights.

Planes Used in the Past

An Airblue Airbus A319 at Dubai International Airport in 2012.

A retired Airblue Airbus A340-300 taking off from an airport in Istanbul.

An Airblue Airbus A321-200 that was leased from another airline in 2016.

Accidents and Incidents

This is the plane, registered as AP-BJB, that was involved in the Airblue Flight 202 accident. This photo was taken one month before the crash.

• On July 28, 2010, a terrible accident occurred. Airblue Flight 202, an Airbus A321-200, was flying from Karachi to Islamabad. As the plane was getting ready to land at the airport in Islamabad, it crashed into the Margalla Hills nearby. The weather was very poor at the time. Sadly, all 152 people on the plane, including 146 passengers and 6 crew members, died in the crash.

• On April 23, 2019, an Airblue A320 plane slid off the runway after landing in Peshawar. The plane went past the end of the runway but stayed on the paved area. No one was injured, and the plane was repaired and put back into service.

See also

In Spanish: Airblue para niños

• List of airlines of Pakistan
• AirSial
• SereneAir
• Fly Jinnah

Images for kids

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  An Airblue Airbus A320-200 at Dubai International Airport.

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  A now-retired Airblue Airbus A340-300 taking off from Istanbul Atatürk Airport after maintenance.