By USMAN A KHAN TAHIR
LAHORE: Shaheen Air has launched a weekly flight between Muscat and Multan from December 1, giving expatriates in Oman the opportunity to fly non-stop to the fifth most populous city of Punjab with a weekly direct flight scheduled every Friday, Shaheen Air spokesperson told Pakistan Today.
Shaheen Air Assistant Brand Manager Amina Javed said that the Multan to Muscat route “is of great importance” to the families settled in the region, as well as the Pakistani labour working in the Gulf country.
Amina added that this route is exclusive to Shaheen Air—the second national carrier of Pakistan—as no other airline currently operates on it.
With the addition of this route, the airline will now have ten weekly flights between Muscat and Pakistan. This includes four flights to Lahore, three to Islamabad and one weekly flight to Sialkot and Peshawar, respectively.
Earlier on Tuesday, Shaheen Air Manager Oman Huzaifa Halai, in a press release, said that “Shaheen Air is looking to expand its operations in Oman as part of its growth strategy outlined for the country.”
The airline also enhanced its frequency to Islamabad from two to three flights a week from November 26. Flights from Muscat to Islamabad now operate every Sunday, Tuesday and Friday.
The flight NL679 is set to depart from Muscat every Friday at 3.15 am and arrive in Multan at 7 am, he said, adding it will leave Multan every Friday at 8 am and arrive in Muscat at 10 am. The arrival timings in Multan make it very convenient for passengers who need to travel by road to the interior cities, he explained.
“There is an overwhelming demand for travel between Oman and Pakistan due to the existence of strong relations between the two countries. The maiden flight to Multan from Muscat will mark a significant milestone for enhancing such ties and also benefit the Pakistani diaspora residing in Oman,” said Halai.
“Expanding operations on the Oman-Pakistan route is in line with Shaheen Air’s growth strategy outlined for Oman,” he added.
Moreover, Shaheen Air has also introduced a mobile app, which passengers can use to check flight schedules, book online and view their booking on their mobile device, he said.
In addition to that, a special introductory fare offer has also been introduced for promoting the Multan flight.
A couple of months ago, new routes were initiated with the first flights started from October 30 between Faisalabad and Sharjah, and Lahore and Medina.
It’s pertinent to mention here that Shaheen Air had recently modernised its fleet with the inclusion of six Airbus A319.
