Airblue facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Airblue

Founded	2003; 22 years ago (2003)
Commenced operations	18 June 2004; 21 years ago (2004-06-18)
Hubs	Jinnah International Airport (Karachi)
Focus cities	Abu Dhabi Dubai–International Islamabad Jeddah Lahore
Frequent-flyer program	Blue Miles
Subsidiaries	Airbahn
Fleet size	12
Destinations	14
Headquarters	Islamabad Stock Exchange Towers Islamabad-44000, Pakistan
Key people	Tariq Chaudhary (Founder & CEO)
Employees	4,100
Website	airblue.com

Airblue is a private airline from Pakistan. It's known as airblue and has its main office in Islamabad. Airblue flies regular flights both within Pakistan and to other countries. These international flights go to places like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. As of early 2024, Airblue flies to three countries and has 17 different flight paths.

Airblue's Story

Airblue was started in 2003 by Tariq Chaudhary. He is a Pakistani-American expert in information technology. The airline began flying on June 18, 2004. It started with three Airbus A320-200 planes that it leased.

The first flights connected Karachi to Lahore and Karachi to Islamabad. There were three flights each day in both directions. Pakistan's Prime Minister, Zafarullah Khan Jamali, officially opened the airline in 2004.

An Airblue Airbus A320-200 at Dubai International Airport

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

In its first year, Airblue became very popular. It carried over 400,000 passengers. More than 90% of its seats were filled on flights. This success helped the airline compete with other big airlines in Pakistan. Airblue then grew to include more cities in Pakistan. These included Peshawar, Quetta, and Nawabshah.

On August 14, 2005, Airblue started its first international flight. This flight went from Karachi to Dubai. Later, on June 4, 2007, Airblue began flying to Manchester, England. For this route, they used an Airbus A321.

In 2012, Airblue decided to get more planes. They added one Airbus A320 and two A340-300s. These A340s helped them fly longer international routes. They used them for flights to Manchester and later to Birmingham in the UK. However, these larger planes had some technical problems. Because of this, Airblue stopped using them by January 2014. Flights to the UK also ended around that time.

Where Airblue Flies

Islamabad Stock Exchange Towers - Airblue's headquarters

As of August 2018, Airblue flies to the places listed below. The list also shows places where Airblue used to fly.

Airblue Services

Inside the Plane

The inside of an Airblue Airbus A320-200

The inside of an Airblue Airbus A321-200

All Airblue planes have seats arranged in a 3-by-3 pattern. This means there are three seats on each side of the aisle. All seats are in the "economy" section. There are also video screens above the seats for entertainment. Airblue used to have a "business class" section, but they removed it.

Easy Ticketing

Airblue was the first airline in Pakistan to offer e-ticketing. This means you can get your ticket online or on your phone. They also introduced wireless check-in and self-check-in machines. These make it easier and faster to get ready for your flight.

Frequent Flyer Program

Airblue has a special program for passengers who fly often. It's called "Blue Miles." When you sign up, it's free. As you fly more, you earn "miles." Once you have enough miles, you can get upgrades. These include a Blue Card and then a Platinum Card. These cards give you special benefits.

Cargo Services

Airblue also offers a service for sending goods by air. This is called "e-Cargo." It helps businesses send items across Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. With e-Cargo, approved agents can book freight shipments directly online.

Airblue's Planes

Current Fleet

Airblue Airbus A320-200 flying at Dubai International Airport in 2006.

Airblue Airbus A321-200 taking off from Manchester Airport in 2009.

As of November 2023, Airblue uses the following types of aircraft:

Former Fleet

Airblue Airbus A319 at Dubai International Airport in 2012.

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

Airblue Airbus A321-200 leased from Windrose Airlines in 2016.

Airblue has used these aircraft types in the past:

Important Events

Airblue Flight 202, registration AP-BJB, seen here in 2010.

• On July 28, 2010, Airblue Flight 202 was flying from Karachi to Islamabad. There were 146 passengers and 6 crew members on board. The plane crashed into the Margalla Hills during bad weather. Sadly, all 152 people on the plane passed away. The aircraft was an Airbus A321-200.
• On April 23, 2019, an A320 plane, flying from Sharjah to Peshawar, went off the end of the runway after landing. The plane stopped on a paved surface. No one was hurt in this event.

Partnerships

In November 2017, Airblue continued its partnership with PepsiCo. This means they work together on certain things. Airblue also had an agreement with Windrose Airlines from Ukraine. They leased some planes from Windrose for three years. These planes had Windrose's colors and crew. This agreement ended in 2016.

See Also

In Spanish: Airblue para niños

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