British Airways to resume flights to Pakistan after 10 years [Update Post #33]

[Gunner786]

Anyone have any idea?
Been 6 years since they suspended service

 

[Gabbar Singh]

I believe they stopped the flights after the Marriott Hotel bombing in Islamabad. Their reasons were that they wouldn't put their staff's safety at risk. Perhaps BA staff stayed at this hotel?

As for the question 'when will they resume flights' - tbh even BA probably don't know the answer to this.

 

[Varun]

Emirates have conquered Pakistan.

Take Karachi, for example. 6 x weekly flights to there from Dubai. And then you have 5 x daily flights from Dubai to Heathrow alone - 4 of them on the A380. Emirates also serves Newcastle, Birmingham, Gatwick and Manchester.

British Airways or anybody else stand no chance.

 

[the Great Khan]

long gone. Other carriers will be able to take advantage once things calm down. BA will simply be playing catch up. I can see some of the Indian budget airlines taking advantage if relations get better. Delhi to Lahore isn't exactly a billion miles away. Nice for a budget airline.

 

[nish_mate]

Emirates have conquered Pakistan.

Take Karachi, for example. 6 x weekly flights to there from Dubai. And then you have 5 x daily flights from Dubai to Heathrow alone - 4 of them on the A380. Emirates also serves Newcastle, Birmingham, Gatwick and Manchester.

British Airways or anybody else stand no chance.

Not really- there are some folks like me who like to a direct flight with no stop overs- hence only fly with BA or Jet.

Plus what about the American pax flying in from States- again would make more sense to break your journey @ LHR- than having a long trip from states to DXB and then follow on for only 3.5 hour odd flight....

 

[Varun]

Not really- there are some folks like me who like to a direct flight with no stop overs- hence only fly with BA or Jet.

Plus what about the American pax flying in from States- again would make more sense to break your journey @ LHR- than having a long trip from states to DXB and then follow on for only 3.5 hour odd flight....

Sure, but I'm talking about Pakistan where the Gulf carriers are the only options aside from PIA.

 

[nish_mate]

Sure, but I'm talking about Pakistan where the Gulf carriers are the only options aside from PIA.

Yupp and I am merely speculating that there will be pax like me who like to fly directly into a country and wish to avoid trashboats like PIA/AI and thats where BA can come in and plus again for filling the Pakistanis from US wishing to fly into Pak...

BA- one thing I am sure of is that will never die from pilot incompetency or engineering shod job

 

[Gunner786]

planning to go next april. So was wondering really dont like PIA but have to use them cos they are direct

 

[Varun]

Yupp and I am merely speculating that there will be pax like me who like to fly directly into a country and wish to avoid trashboats like PIA/AI and thats where BA can come in and plus again for filling the Pakistanis from US wishing to fly into Pak...

BA- one thing I am sure of is that will never die from pilot incompetency or engineering shod job

It's a little different here in India as there are a dedicated bunch of folks who actively shun the Middle Eastern carriers for various reasons, and this leads to the European or American carriers biting into this market and sending over their premium aircraft (Lufthansa with the 748, Singapore with the A380, British Airways with the 787, American with the 77L etc.) to most cities. Then there are the Indian carriers who give them a run for their money in their own right (AI, Jet, Kingfisher in the past). None of this has occurred in Pakistan, and it appears that the folks who fly to and from there are comfortable enough on Emirates, Qatar and the rest of the Gulf carriers.

Speaking of AI, they have now joined Star Alliance as well so I fully expect many to shun Jet and make their way over - AI's product since 2007 hasn't been bad either, first with the 77W and now with the 787 and the dark days appear to be well and truly over. Over the past year they've (re)-launched Melbourne, Sydney, Rome, Moscow and Copenhagen is in the works if sources are to be believed. Couple that with the Star miles you get and it makes little sense to fly other carriers (including Jet) who don't have any allegiance to any of the three alliances, though they will end up signing up with Skyteam sooner rather than later I would think.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

Emirates have conquered Pakistan.

Take Karachi, for example. 6 x weekly flights to there from Dubai. And then you have 5 x daily flights from Dubai to Heathrow alone - 4 of them on the A380. Emirates also serves Newcastle, Birmingham, Gatwick and Manchester.

British Airways or anybody else stand no chance.

That's just not true. There are many people who would travel on a slightly inferior airline if it meant that the route was direct. If that were not the case then why do people choose PIA (London-Pakistan) ahead of the likes of Emirates?

Commercially BA would do very well out of such a route but I guess the security risk for them just isn't worth it.

 

[zaminabs1]

I asked the question in 2011:

Thank you for your enquiry about our flight schedules.

We do not operate flights to Islamabad. At present we are unable to say if we will offer this route in the future. If we do plan or begin operations on a new route, you will be able to view the latest information on ba.com.

I hope this helps.

Regards
Shifa
British Airways

 

[t_kaay]

BA won't resume to Pakistan as their crews can't/won't stay in Pakistan due to the security issues. There was talk of the crews flying into Pakistan and then back out to stay in Dubai but their working hours were over the maximum permitted. It seems that even though it would be a commercially rewarding route, the present security situation means that they won't be returning soon.

Most UK to Pakistan passengers prefer the direct flight and are tied to PIA which has the monopoly in this respect. AirBlue provided some competition until recently, but the crap customer service and unreliability outweighed the cheaper tickets. The middle eastern carriers have the problem of being in-direct and a lower baggage allowance......we all know that when we go, the kitchen sink also get packed

Unfortunately, for the time being, PIA has the monopoly, which causes the silly high prices. We need some competition on the direct route, but that won't happen seeing as PIA is government owned.

 

[msb314]

Bump!

According to the British High Commissioner to Pakistan - British Airways are considering re-launching flights to Pakistan

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1631783/2-uk-high-commissioner-sees-no-impact-brexit-bilateral-trade/

 

[JaDed]

Congrats to the Brit-Pakistanis ,Pak is back on track.

 

[gani999]

Lufthansa did start a Frankfurt - Lahore -Karachi -Frankfurt route sometime in the 2000s. They withdrew after about an year of operations as they could not make any money.

 

[Varun]

The new Islamabad airport seems to have triggered this.

The security argument didn't hold too much water though - as BA were and are happy to fly to bonafide hell-holes such as Nigeria, Mali, etc.

 

[Slog]

That's just not true. There are many people who would travel on a slightly inferior airline if it meant that the route was direct. If that were not the case then why do people choose PIA (London-Pakistan) ahead of the likes of Emirates?

Commercially BA would do very well out of such a route but I guess the security risk for them just isn't worth .

trust me theres some people who do this (or used to atleast) for patriotic purposes

 

[Slog]

Pakistan commercial aviation is a good two decades behind India

 

[R3verse Swing]

trust me theres some people who do this (or used to atleast) for patriotic purposes

PIA flies direct. That's why.

 

[barah_admi]

BA can resume flights if they like but theres too much competition, what with PIA direct and then all the Arab airlines flying indirect, why would anyone pick BA?

 

[Slog]

PIA flies direct. That's why.

pia flies direct from nyc to lahore

once i was going from nyc to khi from jfk airport and i met some pakistani families from karachi

they were going from nyc --> lhr --> khi on PIA

I was going to khi as well but from emirates with stop over in dubai

when i asked them why not emirates since its a better airline and there are same # of stops they chose PIA since it is Pakistani airline.

Also to top it off the PIA ticket had cost more than my emirates ticket

 

[James]

BA are overrated, sometimes you get a lovely smooth flight with ice-cool air con and super comfy seats, but there are other times when I have flown with them and they have rolled out a right old banger.

 

[Napa]

BA are overrated, sometimes you get a lovely smooth flight with ice-cool air con and super comfy seats, but there are other times when I have flown with them and they have rolled out a right old banger.

BA has by far the worst frequent flyer miles program of the different major airlines I have flown.

 

[Syed1]

trust me theres some people who do this (or used to atleast) for patriotic purposes

There are also certain people who will much rather put up with bad service for a 13 hour flight rather than taking a 20-22 hour flight with two stops with excellent service.

 

[Napa]

BA are overrated, sometimes you get a lovely smooth flight with ice-cool air con and super comfy seats, but there are other times when I have flown with them and they have rolled out a right old banger.

There are also certain people who will much rather put up with bad service for a 13 hour flight rather than taking a 20-22 hour flight with two stops with excellent service.

By far the flight attendants with the worst attitudes can be found on the US airlines flying on international routes. US laws against age discrimination means that they are usually older and jaded, in their 40s and 50s, whereas many other airlines like Emirates, Singapore Airlines and the Indian airlines the attendants are women in their 20s and early 30s who still think their job is cool.

Last time I flew from Newark to Delhi, I got into an argument with a male steward in his 50s who said he had only vegetarian meals left to serve. Instead of being apologetic, the guy was brusque. I said something like "you know there are sites like tripadvisor and yelp where I could leave your airlines a bad review".

His reply was "If you are threatening me, I will have the pilot turn the plane around". I think he thought I would be cowed at the prospect, but I replied "if you think a review on tripadvisor is a threat then go ahead". After a moment he reconsidered and produced a non-veg "gluten-free" meal for me, which was honestly quite tasteless.

Quite amazing that the guy had the cheek to threaten me, but then again... if you are in your 50s and working as a flight attendant in an industry where airlines regularly go bankrupt and rip off their employees when they do... then the sour attitude should not be a surprise.

 

[gani999]

It's a little different here in India as there are a dedicated bunch of folks who actively shun the Middle Eastern carriers for various reasons, and this leads to the European or American carriers biting into this market and sending over their premium aircraft (Lufthansa with the 748, Singapore with the A380, British Airways with the 787, American with the 77L etc.) to most cities. Then there are the Indian carriers who give them a run for their money in their own right (AI, Jet, Kingfisher in the past). None of this has occurred in Pakistan, and it appears that the folks who fly to and from there are comfortable enough on Emirates, Qatar and the rest of the Gulf carriers.

I don't think anyone actively shuns the ME3 in India. They don't seem to be reducing frequencies at all.

Some of the FFP types prefer the EU carriers, but quite a lot of them patronize the ME3 as well. The US/Canada bound flights of Emirates, Etihad and Qatar have Indians making up a sizable proportion of the pax.

I think that the Indian market is big enough to accommodate everyone. The only ones losing out are poor old AI. This too might change with the privatization.

And did AA ever fly the 77L to India? I doubt they even have the 77L in their fleet.

 

[Gubol123]

I don't think anyone actively shuns the ME3 in India. They don't seem to be reducing frequencies at all.

Some of the FFP types prefer the EU carriers, but quite a lot of them patronize the ME3 as well. The US/Canada bound flights of Emirates, Etihad and Qatar have Indians making up a sizable proportion of the pax.

I think that the Indian market is big enough to accommodate everyone. The only ones losing out are poor old AI. This too might change with the privatization.

And did AA ever fly the 77L to India? I doubt they even have the 77L in their fleet.

Oh there are lots of folks who shun ME3 in India.. In fact there are bunch of corporate who avoid them like plague, preferring to take Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Air France (God why??) and others..

 

[Gubol123]

Pakistan commercial aviation is a good two decades behind India

in what way? do you mean by the number of people flying, or quality of airports, or something else?

 

[Gubol123]

By far the flight attendants with the worst attitudes can be found on the US airlines flying on international routes. US laws against age discrimination means that they are usually older and jaded, in their 40s and 50s, whereas many other airlines like Emirates, Singapore Airlines and the Indian airlines the attendants are women in their 20s and early 30s who still think their job is cool.

Last time I flew from Newark to Delhi, I got into an argument with a male steward in his 50s who said he had only vegetarian meals left to serve. Instead of being apologetic, the guy was brusque. I said something like "you know there are sites like tripadvisor and yelp where I could leave your airlines a bad review".

His reply was "If you are threatening me, I will have the pilot turn the plane around". I think he thought I would be cowed at the prospect, but I replied "if you think a review on tripadvisor is a threat then go ahead". After a moment he reconsidered and produced a non-veg "gluten-free" meal for me, which was honestly quite tasteless.

Quite amazing that the guy had the cheek to threaten me, but then again... if you are in your 50s and working as a flight attendant in an industry where airlines regularly go bankrupt and rip off their employees when they do... then the sour attitude should not be a surprise.

It is same in Lufthansa and Air France.. Air France come with an added perk of any time strike for whatever reason they feel fit..

 

[Gubol123]

Why excitement on resumption of BA? BA has to be one of the worst airlines out their in terms of service.. My old company used to book only in BA and for two years that i flew with them was really worst service i have seen. It is almost as if they are doing a favor to us by doing their job. Their behavior is much better in business class of course. Emirate and Qatar has the best business class service but Qatar is really cramped in economy.. If Pak is already served by Middle eastern airlines, i don't think they are missing much by not having BA

 

[English August]

By far the flight attendants with the worst attitudes can be found on the US airlines flying on international routes. US laws against age discrimination means that they are usually older and jaded, in their 40s and 50s, whereas many other airlines like Emirates, Singapore Airlines and the Indian airlines the attendants are women in their 20s and early 30s who still think their job is cool.

Last time I flew from Newark to Delhi, I got into an argument with a male steward in his 50s who said he had only vegetarian meals left to serve. Instead of being apologetic, the guy was brusque. I said something like "you know there are sites like tripadvisor and yelp where I could leave your airlines a bad review".

His reply was "If you are threatening me, I will have the pilot turn the plane around". I think he thought I would be cowed at the prospect, but I replied "if you think a review on tripadvisor is a threat then go ahead". After a moment he reconsidered and produced a non-veg "gluten-free" meal for me, which was honestly quite tasteless.

Quite amazing that the guy had the cheek to threaten me, but then again... if you are in your 50s and working as a flight attendant in an industry where airlines regularly go bankrupt and rip off their employees when they do... then the sour attitude should not be a surprise.

Never take panga with the person who's serving you a meal. You'll never know what that guy might have done with your meal right before he served it to you. (Sorry -- couldn't resist!)

On a broader note, ME based airlines are overrated. They started off really well. I have been flying them for 10+ years. Emirates was outstanding 10 years ago. Now they are like any other European airline. Staff is younger but not necessarily nicer. The aircrafts themselves are relatively newer and seats more spacious, so I still use them. But service is not a differentiation any more.

 

[English August]

BA has by far the worst frequent flyer miles program of the different major airlines I have flown.

Charge your points to their partner airline AA instead. Much better rewards program.

 

[Abdullah719]

British Airways to resume Pakistan flights decade after hotel bombing

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - British Airways will resume flights to Pakistan next year after a 10-year absence following an Islamist militant truck bomb that killed more than 50 people at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, the carrier and a British official said on Tuesday.

It will be the first Western carrier to restart flying to Pakistan, where a new airport in the capital has helped ease congestion and concerns about air travel security, since its pullout in 2008.

One of the most high-profile attacks in Pakistan’s history took place during a period of devastating Islamist militant violence that swept across the nuclear-armed South Asian nation.

But security has improved, with militant attacks sharply down in the mainly Muslim country of 208 million people. In Islamabad, a web of road checkpoints dotted across the city for more than a decade has mostly been dismantled.

Thomas Drew, the British High Commissioner to Pakistan, said BA’s return was a “a reflection of the great improvements” in security.

BA, which is owned by Spanish-registered IAG, is due to begin the London Heathrow-Islamabad service on June 15, with three weekly flights by the airline’s newest long-haul aircraft, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

At present, only loss-making national carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flies directly from Pakistan to Britain, but its aging fleet of planes is a frequent source of complaints by passengers.

Middle Eastern carriers Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Emirates [EMIRA.UL] have a strong presence in Pakistan and have been eating into PIA’s dwindling market share. Turkish Airlines also lays on a regular service to Pakistan.

Islamabad has been running international advertising campaigns to rejuvenate its tourism sector that was wiped out by Islamist violence that destabilized the country following the 9/11 attacks in the United States in 2001 and the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan.

Pakistan was formed at partition at the end of British rule in India in 1947 and more than a million people of Pakistani origin live in Britain.

Robert Williams, Head of Sales for Asia Pacific and the Middle East for British Airways, said the carrier believes the route “will be particularly popular with the British Pakistani community who want to visit, or be visited by, their relatives”.

“The links between Britain and Pakistan are already extraordinary – from culture and cricket, to people, politics and education,” Drew added in a statement. “I see this launch as a vote of confidence in the future of those links.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...russia-china-boycott-talks-idUSKBN1OG2CJ?il=0

 

[the Great Khan]

Awesome news..a good sign that security is now improving. Hopefully sporting events will be next but we cannot be complacent.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

June 2019.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1452157/british-airways-to-resume-flights-to-pakistan-after-10-years

 

[shaz619]

Well done PTI

 

[Vegitto1]

Well done PTI

Talks started in March 2018 - before PTI won. Let us not give credit for everything to PTI, just like we cannot blame them for the mess the country is in right now.

 

[Abid Z]

Really good news.

 

[shaaik]

Really good news, coouldn't have come at any better time, planning my first ever trip to Pakistan in Feb In Sha Allah.

 

[gazza619]

Big big news. This will Insha Allah open doors

 

[The Viper]

Very good news. It shows that the security and the situation is improving- hopefully there will be more good news to follow.

 

[msb314]

Really good news, coouldn't have come at any better time, planning my first ever trip to Pakistan in Feb In Sha Allah.

The BA flight starts in June...

 

[MenInG]

London (CNN) — Passengers on a British Airways flight from London's City Airport to Dusseldorf in Germany were met with a surprise Monday morning when their plane touched down -- in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh.

The error was down to an incorrectly filed flight plan, leading both the pilot and cabin crew to believe the flight was bound for Edinburgh.

The flight was operated by German leasing company WDL Aviation on behalf of the British Airways subsidiary airline BA CityFlyer. The incorrect flight plan was filed at WDL Aviation's offices in Germany.

After landing in Edinburgh, the plane took off a second time for Dusseldorf.

Piotr Pomienski, a student at Imperial College London, told CNN his girlfriend Zsófia Szabó was on the plane that landed in Edinburgh by mistake. "I saw on Flightradar that the flight was flying north instead of south, but I assumed it was a system error of some sort. That is until she wrote to me that they're in Edinburgh."

Szabó told CNN she realized something wasn't right when she saw mountains outside the plane, instead of the "usual German industrial landscape."

"When we started descending and I saw some taller hills/mountains, I did think that this isn't how Eastern Netherlands/Western Germany should look like but I assumed we took some small detour," she said. "Then my colleague sitting across the aisle from me told me to check Google Maps -- and it showed us being around Carlisle."

"The information then spread around quite quickly. Everyone started asking everyone else where they were going -- everyone was for Dusseldorf."

"When we landed there was a bit of a hilarious moment when the flight attendant asked for a show of hands for the people going to Dusseldorf, which turned out to be everyone," she said.

The captain subsequently apologized to the passengers, telling them the plane would refuel before heading to Germany.

"Most of us found this situation quite funny," Szabó said. "People were on phone calls trying to convince everyone that they've arrived in the wrong city."

Another passenger on the flight, Son Tran, told CNN: "Most passengers sleep or work through this flight so no one really noticed we were not flying over the Channel. We only realized we are in Scotland once we descended on approach and asked the crew."

In a statement, a spokesperson for British Airways said the airline was working with WDL Aviation "to establish why the incorrect flight plan was filed."

"We have apologized to customers for this interruption to their journey and will be contacting them all individually," the spokesperson said.

WDL Aviation said in a statement: "We are working closely with the authorities to investigate how the obviously unfortunate mix-up of flight schedules could occur. At no time has the safety of passengers been compromised. We flew the passengers on the flight with number BA3271 to Dusseldorf after the involuntary stopover in Edinburgh."

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/arti...t-lands-in-edinburgh-scli-gbr-intl/index.html

 

[The_Odd_One]

BA planes need an upgrade but Pakistani airports really needs more airlines. It was depressing to see an empty Karachi airport with literally 2-3 planes.

 

[Syed1]

Flights start next week. Looking forward to some cheaper flights to Pak when I visit in Dec-Jan.


For too long PIA have used and abused the need for Pakistanis to travel from North America directly to Pakistan. Their ticket prices are comparable to the top notch Middle Eastern ones but service is beyond pathetic.


Emirates is generally too expensive and Etihad isn't much better either. Qatar does not go to Doha directly from Toronto so first I have to travel to Boston or Montreal. Last time I went through Turkish, although the flight and its price were good but the wait at Istanbul airport was too long and Turkish cuisine is probably the worst in the world.


Toronto>London>Karachi on AirCanada+British Airways would be cheaper and lot more comfortable.

 

[The_Odd_One]

I do not think I will be visiting Pakistan again but if I do I will definitely take BA next time. Non-stop flight from US to Dubai on Emirates is way too long.

 

[msb314]

Flights start next week. Looking forward to some cheaper flights to Pak when I visit in Dec-Jan.


For too long PIA have used and abused the need for Pakistanis to travel from North America directly to Pakistan. Their ticket prices are comparable to the top notch Middle Eastern ones but service is beyond pathetic.


Emirates is generally too expensive and Etihad isn't much better either. Qatar does not go to Doha directly from Toronto so first I have to travel to Boston or Montreal. Last time I went through Turkish, although the flight and its price were good but the wait at Istanbul airport was too long and Turkish cuisine is probably the worst in the world.


Toronto>London>Karachi on AirCanada+British Airways would be cheaper and lot more comfortable.

BA is not flying to Karachi - only to Islamabad.

You will have to take a domestic connection from ISB to KHI - most likely on a separate reservation since BA does not have an inter line agreement with PIA, Air Blue, Shaheen etc. Plus baggage fees etc.

Hence why this route is useless to me - unless hopefully BA also launches flights to KHI or do what Air China does - that is deplane some passengers in ISB and continuing on to KHI

 

[msb314]

I do not think I will be visiting Pakistan again but if I do I will definitely take BA next time. Non-stop flight from US to Dubai on Emirates is way too long.

To each to their own - but I would rather fly the ME3 and have a layover in a nice airport with water and halal food and being less than 3 hrs from Pakistan rather than the crappy European ones that are too old and have too much security.

Plus the convenience of only 1 layover...

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Months of work behind scenes pays off,BA to land 1st at Isb on 3rd Jun after over 10 yrs of absence-big boost for inbound tourism from UK/US-I’m happy to be taking the maiden flight.Well done & thankyou <a href="https://twitter.com/TomDrewUK?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TomDrewUK</a> & all involved in getting a global aviation player bk to Pakistan! <a href="https://t.co/FqmgnG7vBv">pic.twitter.com/FqmgnG7vBv</a></p>— Sayed Z Bukhari (@sayedzbukhari) <a href="https://twitter.com/sayedzbukhari/status/1131644559358877696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2019</a></blockquote>
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[Gharib Aadmi]

Credit needs to be given to PML N for this not PTI. For all their faults PML N favored the Open Skies policy which unfortunately it seems that PTI will reverse.

 

[Gharib Aadmi]

Flights start next week. Looking forward to some cheaper flights to Pak when I visit in Dec-Jan.


For too long PIA have used and abused the need for Pakistanis to travel from North America directly to Pakistan. Their ticket prices are comparable to the top notch Middle Eastern ones but service is beyond pathetic.


Emirates is generally too expensive and Etihad isn't much better either. Qatar does not go to Doha directly from Toronto so first I have to travel to Boston or Montreal. Last time I went through Turkish, although the flight and its price were good but the wait at Istanbul airport was too long and Turkish cuisine is probably the worst in the world.


Toronto>London>Karachi on AirCanada+British Airways would be cheaper and lot more comfortable.

I wouldn't get too excited for cheaper fairs. PTI cabinet removed the Open Skies policy, so most likely fares will be going up.

I have heard the same complaints about Istanbul Airport, however they just opened a new one this year, so that might not be a bad option now.

 

[SensiblePakFan]

Credit needs to be given to PML N for this not PTI. For all their faults PML N favored the Open Skies policy which unfortunately it seems that PTI will reverse.

Yea for taking so damn long to open Islamabad airport, had they done it sooner this could have happened during their tenure))

 

[shaaik]

British Airways resumes flights to Pakistan after decade-long suspension

LAMABAD: British Airways on Sunday resumed flight operations to Pakistan after a decade long suspension.

British Airways halted services in 2008 in the wake of a suicide bombing attack that killed more than 50 people at Islamabad’s Marriott Hotel, at that time British Airways normally operated six flights a week between London and Islamabad, the Pakistani capital.

British High Commissioner to Pakistan Thomas Drew said it was a big day for UK and Pakistan as British Airways first flight on its new direct service to Islamabad takes off from London Heathrow this afternoon.

In March, a British Airways spokesperson had announced that the first non-stop flight will leave from Heathrow on June 2 on a 787-8 Dreamliner. “The sale for tickets on this route is on and the introductory fare for summer holidays will start from £447 including all charges and taxes,” said the spokesman.

The spokesman had further clarified that flights will operate three times a week on a 787-8 Dreamliner which can be enhanced with a suitable environment.

He said British Airways is very excited to introduce new flights between Islamabad and Heathrow this summer, which we believe will be particularly popular with British Pakistani community who want to visit or be visited by, their relatives.

The spokesman told that Islamabad is a cultural hub, offering a great collection of museums, Mosques, green spaces and unique architecture.

The carrier's announcement was "a reflection of the great improvements in the security situation in Pakistan" in the years since the resumption of flights will "give a particular boost to our growing trade and investment links," said spokesman of British Airways.

He said that now we believe the time is right to start flying again to Pakistan and we are very excited to be adding another destination in South Asia for our customers.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/239106-br...ghts-to-pakistan-after-decade-long-suspension

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BA set to resume Pakistan flights in win for Imran Khan <a href="https://t.co/hZRJuiv380">https://t.co/hZRJuiv380</a></p>— Financial Times (@FT) <a href="https://twitter.com/FT/status/1135058530396966913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2019</a></blockquote>
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