ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) first flight to Paris, carrying 323 passengers, departed from Islamabad International Airport on Friday at noon.
Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif was at the Islamabad airport to see off the passengers.
The PIA flights to Europe resumed after the European Union authorities lifted a four-year ban on the carrier last year in December.
According to PIA, initially, two direct flights to Paris will be operating in a week, Friday and Sunday, after which it will be gradually increased.
According to the airline’s spokesperson, all economy class tickets for the Islamabad-to-Paris flight have been sold out in advance.
PIA is projected to earn over Rs110 million from this inaugural flight. The spokesperson added that the flight has a total capacity of 323 passengers, with only 11 executive economy seats still available.
For the following week, nearly 85 per cent of the seats have already been booked, leaving just a few executive economy seats open for reservations.
Earlier addressing the ceremony at the Islamabad Airport, Federal Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif highlighted the government’s efforts in restoring flights to Europe
“Our government worked tirelessly to resume European flights,” he said, expressing gratitude to the European Union Safety Agency for evaluating Pakistan’s aviation system and granting approval for flights.
The suspension of European flights, he noted, caused losses worth billions of rupees.
Asif stressed the importance of regaining market share in Europe through Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). “We are committed to reclaiming our position in the European market with PIA,” he said, praising former Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique for his efforts in this regard. He also acknowledged former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for closely monitoring the process of flight restoration.
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The minister expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for supporting the initiative and prayed for the success of PIA.
He criticised a past aviation minister’s statement that led to the imposition of international sanctions. “For four years, overseas Pakistanis were unable to travel directly to Pakistan from Europe,” Asif said.
He assured that flights to the UK would resume soon after Europe. However, he lamented the lack of accountability in the country, which had caused severe damage to PIA’s reputation and operations.
“Once, PIA was among the world’s best airlines,” he remarked. “Now, PIA will gradually expand its operations across Europe.”
He concluded by announcing plans to start flights to the United States through European transit points, marking a significant step toward restoring PIA’s international presence.