GILGIT: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has started direct flights from Karachi to Skardu to promote tourism in Gilgit-Baltistan.

The first PIA Airbus-320 with 178 passengers and eight crew members landed at the Skardu Airport on Monday.

The airline will operate two weekly flights from Karachi to Skardu.

Earlier on April 7, the national carrier had launched direct flight operation from Lahore to Skardu twice a week.

In a press release, GB Governor Raja Jalal Hussain Maqpoon said the direct flights from Karach to Skardu had been launched with a view to promoting tourism in the region and facilitating the local people. He said the federal government was fully cooperating to develop the tourism sector in GB.

He said international flights would also be launched from Gilgit-Baltistan in near future, which would further boost the region’s tourism sector.

“In collaboration with the federal and provincial governments, practical steps are also being taken to make the Skardu Airport an all-weather and international airport,” he said.

Separately, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has issued TPRI (Tourism Promotion and Regional Integration) licence to a newly-launched private airline named North Air in order to boost tourism in the region, according to a press release.

The private airline will operate flights between Islamabad and Gilgit, Islamabad-Skardu, Islamabad-Chitral and Islamabad-Gwadar.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2021