BEIJING - Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has completed all arrangements to restart its direct weekly passenger flights on the Beijing-Islamabad-Beijing route from October 30 (Sunday).
PK-854 will depart from Islamabad International airport at 6.45am on Sunday morning and arrive at the Beijing Capital Airport at 14.55 pm local time. This flight will return to Islamabad later in the evening, official sources confirmed here on Friday. The national flag carrier will resume its direct flights between Islamabad and Beijing after a gap of over two and a half years. The last PIA flight was operated on this route on February 10, 2020.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) stopped flights of all international airlines including PIA to and from Beijing in wake of Covid 19 pandemic prevention and control measures at the beginning of the year 2020.
As per official sources, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has accorded approval to PIA to restart its direct flight operation between Islamabad and Beijing considering Pakistan as the only all-weather strategic partner of China and shared interest and cooperation in various areas between the two countries. Pakistani officials, traders, and students have warmly welcomed the restart of direct PIA passenger flights between the capital cities of Pakistan and China. The flight will also facilitate Chinese personnel working on different projects being completed under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistan.
A Pakistani passenger who intends to leave for Islamabad from Beijing Capital Airport said that PIA is expanding its flight network for China and is providing more options to Pakistani and Chinese travelers to directly reach different cities between China and Pakistan. Earlier this month, PIA announced to decrease in its fare for Pakistani students and other passengers traveling between Pakistan to China.
Pakistani students intending to travel to China to join their studies at educational institutions in China could take benefit from the new discount. Talking to APP, Taskeen Ahmad, a Pakistani student, said that the discount would greatly facilitate Pakistani students, adding, a large number of students could now avail of the offer of discounted fare and return to their respective universities in China to resume off-line studies. Abdul Karim, a Pakistani living in the Chinese capital also expressed pleasure over the reduction offered by PIA in its fare for passengers traveling between the two friendly countries and said now people could more frequently travel between Pakistan and China.