On February 16, citing an open-source intelligence account, local news outlets flagged something unusual over Pakistan’s skies: a 2019-manufactured Gulfstream GVII-G500 luxury jet, bearing US registration number N144S.
The jet flew from Lahore to Sialkot in Pakistan’s Punjab province that day under the call sign ‘Punjab 2’, a designation conventionally used when the Pak Punjab chief minister is on board, The Express Tribune reported citing The Stratcom Bureau. Other aviation observers checked and chimed in too.
The aircraft has not been formally announced as acquired by the Punjab government of chief minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, nor has its cost been officially revealed. The approval process is not public either, noted Opposition leaders. Technically, it remains registered in the United States.
A Gulfstream G500 of that model year is usually valued at between $38–42 million, according to GlobalAir and other price-tracking portals. That would be more than 10 billion Pakistani rupees. For perspective, this figure translates into more than 3,000 Suzuki Altos in Pakistan at current prices.
The comparison critics have returned to most often is based on another, more directly comparable number. Pakistan International Airlines, termed a chronic loss-maker, was privatised for approximately ₹10 billion, roughly the same figure reportedly spent on this single jet.
When the plane flew into a political storm, Pak Punjab’s information minister Azma Bukhari moved first to contain the damage.
{{/usCountry}}When the plane flew into a political storm, Pak Punjab’s information minister Azma Bukhari moved first to contain the damage.
{{/usCountry}}The aircraft, she said, was not acquired for personal or VIP use.
"A fleet is being built for Air Punjab; this plane is a link in that chain," she told Dunya News, adding that the public would be briefed once all arrangements were finalised.
Her reference to Air Punjab was to a provincial airline the provincial cabinet approved in November last year, with CM Maryam Nawaz presiding over the meeting. The company was incorporated with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan at the Lahore Company Registration Office on July 24, 2025. Provincial officials confirmed to The Express Tribune this week that Air Punjab will begin commercial operations in April with an initial fleet of seven aircraft on domestic routes, before expanding internationally after two years. Vacancies for the airline's chief executive, chief operating, and chief financial officers have already been advertised.
Officials also said the chief minister's existing helicopter would be inducted into Air Punjab's fleet as its first operational asset, and that no separate aircraft would be procured for VIP use. They said that whenever CM Maryam Nawaz travels on an Air Punjab aircraft, the full commercial fare would be charged.
CM Maryam Nawaz confirmed the acquisition too, telling reporters that Punjab would no longer need to request planes from the federal government or the Pakistan Air Force for official travel.
That explanation has drawn scepticism too.
Former federal finance minister Miftah Ismail, in a post on X, wrote that a Punjab government spokesperson had claimed the Gulfstream, already in use for VIP travel, was in fact for Air Punjab.
He argued that no commercial airline in the world operates a business jet of this configuration, given that a 10-to-16-seat aircraft of this kind is not economically viable for airline operations.
The website of Gulfstream Aerospace, an American company, says the G500 is a top-tier, ultra-long-range luxury business jet, often used for corporate, private, and head-of-state transport. It has a customisable cabin with up to three living areas, over a dozen large panoramic windows, and advanced technology for a quiet, fast, and smooth ride, it says. It's not clear which exact configuration Maryam Nawaz's plane has.
Former Sindh governor Muhammad Zubair Umar, also writing on X, questioned whether a country “where 45% of the population lives below the poverty line” could justify such expenditure. Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the rightwing Jamaat-e-Islami have both condemned the acquisition too, according to local news outlets.
An April launch — or a launch at all — of Air Punjab may resolve the issue to some degree.
But the running costs have also been questioned. Industry sources cited by Times of Islamabad estimated that annual operating expenses, in fuel, crew training, insurance, and hangar facilities, could run to 80–86 crore Pakistani rupees. Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province, already carries a debt burden exceeding ₹1.7 trillion, the outlet reported.