AirSial has become a prominent name in no time. The airline is a private joint venture of businessmen from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sialkot. The airline was launched in December 2020. Sialkot is a major industrial hub of Pakistan. Earlier, there was no air connectivity between Sialkot and the rest of the country. The prime aim of launching this airline was to improve air connectivity between Sialkot and the rest of the bigger airports in Pakistan. They include Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, and Peshawar.
Airline’s Current Plan
At the moment, the airline has to serve the domestic routes in order to comply with the Licensing policy for the new airlines. The airline has procured three A320 for its fleet. The operational hub of the airline is Karachi. For a new entrant to the market, Airbus A320 was a wise move. The aircraft is cheaper than the Boeing 737 series. It has wider cabins and almost the same fuel efficiency as the B737.
AirSial Marketing Direction
The airline has made a cautious move in launching its product in the market. The marketing team has done a commendable job in positioning their product to the customers. The airline has done various endorsements. A good marketing campaign is very important for the successful positioning of an airline. AirSial has managed to position itself prominently in the Pakistan Aviation Industry with the help of its marketing team. This also shows the vision of the top management.
Present Scenario
The airline industry in Pakistan is getting in good shape these days. There are four airlines operating in the market; PIA, Serene Air, Airblue and AirSial. Three of the airlines have both domestic international routes in their network. Serene Air has recently gone international this year. It appears to be the best opportunity for Air Sial to focus more on the domestic routes. With a good opportunity in hand, the airline should make good strategies to increase its load factor on the domestic network, Serene Air has shown positive growth in a very short span of time and now embarking on the international venture. Air Sial should follow the lead.
What AirSial Should Focus Now?
Due to smaller fleet size and requirements to meet both domestic and international routes, other airlines have to optimize their flight schedules very often. Since international routes bring more revenue therefore, airlines tend to focus more in that area. As a result, gaps are generated. Due to limitation of aircraft fleet and resources, other airlines can exploit this opportunity. AirSial should fill these gaps. As a pure domestic carrier at the moment, the airline has all the potential to capture a good market share through its better services. Better price and sales promotion through effective marketing can help the airline to grab a good chunk from the Pakistan domestic market.
Future Direction
In the first step, the airline should expand its domestic network further. Further addition of trade hubs like Faisalabad on its dometic route can improve business travel among the major hubs. Socio economic routes especially northern areas of Gilgit and Skardu could be a wise initiative. The airline is also thinking on the lines of possibility of introducing Airbus A330 aircraft to its fleet. This could be a good long term strategic plan for the international routes. However, the need of the hour demands dedicated efforts from the airline to improve its foothold in the domestic market. It will also help the airline to pave its way for the international routes in future.
Written by guest writer, Faisal Bashir
