Location

'Pakistan International Airlines', or 'PIA' for short, can trace its beginnings to the days when Pakistan was not an independent state. In 1946 Muhammed Ali Jinnah realised the need for an airline network for the forming country and called upon the help of an industrialist Mirza Ahmad Ispahani to develop a flag carrier for the nation. Meanwhile, an airline called 'Orient Airways', registered in Calcutta, was formed on 23 October 1946. In February 1947, the airline brought three DC-3 airplanes from a company in Texas, and in May of that year the airline was granted a licence to fly. Services were started in June from Kolkata to Sittwe and Yangon. This was the first post-war airline flight by a South Asian registered airline company.

Pakistan International Airlines Corporation is the 31st largest airline in Asia, operating scheduled services to 37 destinations worldwide, as well as 24 domestic destinations. Its main bases are Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad/Rawalpindi.

The airline's secondary bases include Peshawar, Faisalabad, Quetta and Multan, from which it connects the metropolitan cities with the main bases, the Middle East and the Far East. The airline is owned by the Government of Pakistan (87%) and other shareholders (13%). It employed 18,043 people as of May 2008. PIA serves 35 international destinations in 24 countries which is more international destinations than any other South Asian airline.

PIA is driven by the highest standards of corporate governance and social responsibility. As a public sector organization and a business leader, PIA believes in building strong relationships with customers, partners, employees, and the communities in which it operates. The organization's values are exemplified in a range of corporate initiatives designed to impact positively on the lives of multiple stakeholders. PIA practices active corporate citizenship through social services, support for non-profit organizations, medical services for employees, the promotion of sports, and educational initiatives.