Islamabad, 26 Apr, 2025: The Punjab government has moved forward with the Air Punjab Project, aiming to establish its own airline, with operations expected to begin within a year.
The announcement marks a major step in provincial aviation, following previous struggles at the national level to privatize Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
Punjab’s Information Minister Azma Bokhari revealed during a press briefing in Lahore that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had given formal approval for the Air Punjab Project just a few days earlier.
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Bokhari noted that preparations are underway to ensure the airline becomes operational between eight and twelve months from now.
The minister explained that four aircraft would be leased immediately to kickstart the airline’s fleet. She highlighted that according to Pakistani aviation laws, a new airline must operate domestic flights for at least one year before expanding to international destinations.
Bokhari expressed confidence that Air Punjab would be ready to serve passengers across the country in the near future.
Licensing procedures and leasing arrangements are already being expedited on the direct orders of the Punjab chief minister.
Bokhari emphasised that until now, no province had considered launching its own airline, positioning Punjab as a pioneer in this domain.
Alongside the airline initiative, Bokhari also announced another major infrastructure project. She confirmed that Pakistan’s first high-speed bullet train would run between Lahore and Rawalpindi, completing the journey in just two hours and twenty minutes.
Approval for this ambitious railway project had also been granted by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
Further expanding on the transport strategy, Bokhari outlined that feasibility studies were underway for additional fast-train routes within Punjab.
These include proposed services linking Lahore to Shahdara and Narowal, Lahore to Raiwind and Kasur, Pakpattan to Lodhran, Sheikhupura to Shorkot, Shorkot to Sargodha via Jhang, and Lala Musa to Sargodha via Malakwal. Plans for a complete overhaul of Punjab’s railway network have also been endorsed.
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The backdrop to these developments lies in the federal government’s failed attempt to privatize PIA, which collapsed after receiving an offer of only Rs10 billion against a government-set minimum of Rs85 billion.
Following this setback, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government expressed interest in purchasing PIA, while former prime minister Nawaz Sharif advised his daughter, Maryam Nawaz, to explore the option of starting a new airline instead.
Ultimately, Punjab authorities decided against participating in PIA’s privatisation and instead focused on creating a fresh provincial airline under their own vision.
