3 reviews
Hello everyone and welcome to another flight report from my archive. This time on a quick 2-hour flight from Islamabad to Karachi onboard a Serene Air Boeing 737-800. For those interested, a video version of this flight report is linked above.
Islamabad airport is quick far from the main city area hence after a 40 minute drive made it to the airport for the flight.
This airport is quite modern with a lot of open space. It was opened for revenue flights in 2016.
It was then time to check in for the flight.
Alright done with check in and security and time to head to the gate. But I guess a cappuccino before the flight isn't a bad idea ?
The domestic airside had adequate facilities that included 2 restaurants and a couple of duty free shops.
I made it to the assigned gate just in time as the aircraft arrived from Karachi.
The aircraft operating the flight is 13.7 year old Boeing 737-800 with the registration of AP-BNC. This aircraft was previously operating for Anadolu Jet and was leased by Serene Air back in 2017.
An AirBlue Airbus A320 taxing to its gate from Karachi.
After its quick turn around, it was time to board the Boeing 737 bound for Karachi.
Seat 6F was my home for the next 2 hours. Seat reservation excluding the emerging exit and first 2 rows is free hence i took the opportunity to opt for a seat right in front of those CFM 56s.
The seat had no form of seat back ife system. The legroom was overall comfortable enough for the 2 hour hop.
The seat pocket contents consisted of an air sickness bag and the safety card.
The cabin on the aircraft was sadly not modern and it didn't have the newer Boeing sky interior.
The PIA Airbus A320 at the adjacent gate pushing back. It was also flying out to Karachi.
Hand sanitizers were provided to all the passengers.
We pushed back from the gate on time and those CFM 56s were powered up.
After a quick taxi from the domestic terminal to the active Runway . We lifted of on our way to Karachi.
Flying through some clouds as we climb to our cruising altitude of 34000 feet.
This flight was flown in September 2020. During that period , airlines were not allowed to serve any inflight meals. This was in relation to COVID 10 guidelines. Hence the only form of " inflight service" was a bottle of water. Definitely missed the good Serene catering i have experienced on past flights with them.
Besides that it was an uneventful flight as we cruise with clear blue skies ahead of us.
It was time to begin our descent into Jinnah International Airport.
Signs that you are in Karachi is the lack of ample greenery as compared to the Punjab region.
On the final approach for Runway 25L. One thing that surprised me is that I have flown out of Karachi multiple times and I have never seen the city this green on approach. But then I remembered at the time of taking this flight there was severe monsoon rainfall in the city.
We touched down in Jinnah International Airport on time.
Taxing past some old beauties as we make our way to our assigned gate.
2020 was the year airlines started utilizing there passenger aircrafts in aiding with the pandemic recovery. One example here being an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER being loaded with just cargo.
Another Serene Boeing 737-800 being towed to domestic terminal for its flight later to Lahore.
Thanks for the uneventful flight AP-BNC. This brings us to the end of this flight report.
Another flight without any surprises onboard Serene Air for me. They are probably one of the most punctual airlines in Pakistan with most of their flights having on-time departures. The seat overall was good enough for this short 2-hour hop, although it might be slightly cramped for taller people or on longer flights. It's sad I couldn't experience the Serene catering again, but the airline can't really do much about it when the government instructs them not to provide inflight food. Definetly recommend Serene Air as they are a small but growing airline in Pakistan.
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