Around 100 Sri Lankan Airline crew, pilots, ground staff and engineers have been given Visas by Pakistan authorities to operate the new Airbus handed over to PIA on wet lease, a senior SL Airline official disclosed.

However, Pakistan Air Lines top official disclosed that Sri Lankan Airlines has sent Cabin Supervisors and Cabin Service Instructors only.

He noted that PI A has not specified that they want only all male crew although, SriLankan Airlines has sent male Flight Attendants Cabin Supervisors and Cabin Service Instructors .

He declined to reveal as to whether the PIA will operate the new Airbus leased out from Sri Lankan airlines under PIA logo or as a joint service, he added that the aircraft will be operated for PIA by Sri Lankan crew and it will be based inIslamabad and Lahore.

The all maintenance of the Air craft will be carried out by Sri Lankan engineers.

“It will fly from Islamabad and Lahore and we are also in talks to take over three more Airbus A330 planes from them ,” he said.

SriLankan, which has incurred losses of US $993 million, plans to scrap several European flights in the coming months and is looking for an equity partner to revive the business.

However informed sources said that the PIA is also a loss making Air line and it is planning to privatise the entity.

The cash strapped PIA has stepped into lease out a Sri Lankan Airline Air bus to fulfill a pledge given by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Shariff to his Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickremasinghe during his tour of Sri Lanka several months ago.

PIA Premier Service is scheduled to be launched on Saturday, August 14(Tomorrow), initially only to London.

PIA is going through a procedure of privatisation to shift management from government to the private sector. It employed nearly 14,000 people as of annual report 2015 and the airline has an overall punctuality of 88%. PIA operates scheduled services to 70 domestic destinations and 34 international destinations in 27 countries across Asia, Europe and North America.