ISLAMABAD: After almost four and a half years, the national carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will resume direct flights to Europe today.
The first flight, PK 749, will depart from Islamabad to Paris at 12:10 pm, marking the return of the national carrier to the European skies.
PIA spokesperson Abdullah Khan said that the national airline has sold all 329 seats, including 35 club class seats, on its flight to and from Paris.
He stated that the airline had sold all seats on the return flight from Paris.
The national airline’s spokesperson confirmed that all tickets for the next three bilateral flights on the Islamabad-Paris route have sold out.
According to the spokesperson, under the code-sharing agreement, Air France will now take the national airline’s passengers beyond Paris to 21 cities in the UK and Europe.
Also Read: PIA privatisation: missed opportunity by government?
The national airline will issue the tickets for these flights.
The PIA spokesperson further said “The huge demand for direct flights from Europe to Pakistan reflects in this successful launch.”
PIA to add ‘eight more planes’ by next year
To expand operation, the PIA will add eight new planes this year.
The official said that the airline is planning to expand its network to Europe and the United Kingdom after the four-year ban, imposed by European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), had been lifted.
A PIA spokesperson said that with the expansion of the network and the possible resumption of flights to these regions, the national carrier is in the process of restoring its aircraft that were in long-term storage and bringing them back into operational service.
As part of the management’s plan, the operational fleet of wide-body Boeing 777 will increase to eight. They expect the number of A320 aircraft to reach 12, and they will add two ATR aircraft.
