Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will restart direct services between Lahore and Skardu in an effort to promote tourism within the country, according to a report by the local Pakistani newspaper The Nation.
Restoring domestic flights
The flights between Allama Iqbal International Airport (LHE) and Skardu International Airport (KDU) will start operating on June 3, 2023. Initially, the flag carrier of Pakistan plans to operate two weekly flights scheduled on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Currently, the only way to travel from Lahore to Skardu with Pakistan International Airlines is by taking a connecting flight. The Skardu region is renowned for its picturesque natural scenery and is considered one of the popular tourist destinations in Pakistan.
The airline has not specified which aircraft it will deploy on Lahore-Skardu flights. But given the airline’s fleet situation, Pakistan International Airlines will most likely use its fleet of regional aircraft, namely the ATR turboprop aircraft (three ATR 42s and one ATR 72).
However, it is worth noting that the Pakistani carrier also operates a fleet of 15 Airbus A320s and 12 Boeing 777 widebody jets, according to Planespotters.net data.
Photo: Soos Jozsef/Shutterstock
Pakistan International Airlines aims to further expand its domestic flight operations in the future, in line with the vision of the Federal Minister for Civil Aviation, Khawaja Saad Rafique, to boost tourism within the country, as per the report.
Reducing ticket fares
PIA has been recently reducing ticket prices on some of its operations. Simple Flying has recently reported that PIA has slashed fares on its Beijing flights to encourage more travelers from both countries as it saw a particular demand among students and business travelers.
In early May, the airline’s spokesperson revealed that the airline was slashing ticket prices between Pakistan and Beijing by 30%. Pakistan Internationl Airlines operates once-weekly flights between Islamabad International Airport (ISB) and Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK), deploying its Boeing 777 fleet.
At the start of the year, China initiated the reopening of its international borders, resulting in a surge of travelers and a swift resumption of operations by numerous foreign airlines. China has emerged as a favored destination for Pakistani students seeking education opportunities, with approximately 28,000 currently enrolled in various educational institutions across the country.
Photo: Leonard Zhukovsky/Shutterstock
In February, PIA also initiated ticket price reductions for students exclusively traveling between China and Pakistan. For the past six months, the airline has offered up to a 27% discount for students. In December 2022, the Pakistani airline initially introduced discounted fares for students traveling between Beijing and Islamabad. Later on, these fare reductions were extended to include the Islamabad-Chengdu route. Commenting on the price reduction, PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez Khan, said at the time:
“After the resumption of flights to Beijing, a large number of students and businessmen are thronging to China. They repeatedly requested PIA to adjust the fares to the pre-COVID-19 ticket prices”
What are your thoughts on the resumption of domestic flights and the efforts to enhance domestic tourism within Pakistan? Let us know in the comments section below.
Sources: The Nation, Planespotters.net
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