Paksn Inc history

1946: Orient Airways is formed.

Using the same type of war surplus Douglas C-47s that had launched so many other airlines, Orient established a Calcutta-Akyab-Rangoon route on June 30, 1947.

Pakistan's Ministry of Defense created Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) as a government department in 1951.

PIA took over one of Orient's routes, Karachi-Dacca, on June 7, 1954 using a new Lockheed Super Constellation.

PIA became a state corporation on March 11, 1955.

In 1966, PIA lost one of its three Sikorsky S-61 helicopters in a fatal accident.

1973: The company orders its first wide-body jets.

Air Marshal Nur Khan returned as PIA chairman in 1974 and was joined by Enver Jamall, a veteran of the Tata airline in India, as managing director.

In 1976, PIA began operating Boeing 747 jumbo jets, leased from TAP of Portugal, for the first time.

In a pattern more typical of western airlines' involvement with those of developing countries, PIA acquired a 20 percent interest in Air Malta in April 1977 and supplied it with technical staff.

Jamall and Salim were replaced by Major General Rahim Khan and Air Marshall Wigar Azim as chairman and managing director, respectively, in 1981.

The prospect of a partial privatization of 15 percent of the airline was being raised by 1990.

PIA posted its first loss during fiscal 1991 due to the spike in insurance premiums and fuel prices caused by the Gulf War.

However, in contrast to PIA's earlier growth periods, much of the fleet seemed outdated by 1995, noted Air Transport World.

2000: The government approves a Rs 20 billion bailout for PIA.

Twenty-nine of them closed their offices in Pakistan in September 2001.