RAWALPINDI:  Pakistan International Airlines on Saturday resumed its Air Safari flight from Islamabad after 14 years to promote tourism.

The PIA’s first Air Safari flight with 91 tourists from 13 countries on board departed from Islamabad International Airport on Saturday for Skardu.

The Air Safari flight will fly over K-2 to Nanga Parbat, Broad Peak glacier before landing in Skardu and then will return back to Islamabad.

Federal minister for power Hammad Azhar was among the tourists.

A PIA spokesman said the foreign tourists expressed enthusiasm to see Pakistan’s beautiful mountain range. He said Air Safari was popular among the tourists and it would help promote tourism in Pakistan.

PIA will operate a one-weekly Air Safari flight for Skardu from Islamabad during the flight the tourists will see 13 places and its one-way fare will be Rs25,000.

According to the schedule, the tourist would spend one-and-a-half hour in Skurdu where they would have refreshments after which they would be flown back to Islamabad.

PIA had recently started its flight for Saidu Sharif, whereas the PIA flights from Lahore to Skardu had also been started.

Earlier, the PIA had announced the cancellation of its inaugural Safari flight for one-week due to bad weather in northern areas. The first flight was scheduled to be operated on June 12.

The spokesman had said that clear weather conditions had been important for seeing the world’s highest mountains.

Published in Dawn, June 20th, 2021