Thursday 18 / April / 2024
Muscat: Salalah will soon be connected by direct air service to Pakistan, a senior official of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said on Wednesday.
Shahzad Paracha, country manager of PIA Oman, said that they are planning to to connect Salalah with Islamabad, Lahore and Sialkot.
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“We are hopeful that we will be able to fly to Salalah once new aircraft joins our fleet this summer,” he told Times of Oman on Tuesday. He also said this will benefit some 40,000 to 50,000 Pakistani nationals who reside in Dhofar governorate of Oman.
“Now, they have to change flights either in Muscat, Doha, Dubai or Sharjah,” he noted.
PIA operates as many as 16 weekly flights from Muscat to Pakistan, covering major destinations such as Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Sialkot, Peshawar, Gwadar and Turbat with direct service.
“We are also planning to increase our Muscat service, but it depends on the number of new aircraft that we get this summer,” he said.
The airline has nearly doubled its Oman operations in recent years, increasing its weekly flights from eight in 2014 to the current 16.
Also, the airline has recently added state-of-the-art Boeing 777 airplane to its flight operations in Oman.
Direct flights from Salalah will also benefit Bangladeshis and Indian expatriates, who can reach connecting flights from Pakistan.
“Our connecting flights are quite convenient with competitive fares that attract international passengers from these communities,” he added.
