PIA restores eight international routes after prolonged suspensions, says defence minister 

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has reactivated eight international routes over the past six months, Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif informed the Senate in response to a query from Senator Kamran Murtaza.

Among the restored routes are Islamabad-Paris, Turbat-Sharjah, Turbat-Al Ain, Gwadar-Muscat, Quetta-Jeddah, Faisalabad-Jeddah, Faisalabad-Madinah, and Lahore-Kuwait. The Islamabad-Paris route resumed operations after a gap of four years and five months, with Boeing 777 aircraft now in service.

Flights on the Turbat-Sharjah and Turbat-Al Ain routes resumed after four and five months, respectively, utilizing ATR aircraft. Similarly, the Gwadar-Muscat route restarted after a 13-month suspension, also serviced by ATR aircraft.

The Quetta-Jeddah route, which remained inactive for three years and four months, has been reinstated with Airbus A320 operations. Meanwhile, flights from Faisalabad to Jeddah and Madinah, suspended for the same period, are back in operation using A320 aircraft. The Lahore-Kuwait route, which was unavailable for seven months, has also resumed with A320 aircraft.

The minister emphasized that the route restorations aim to improve connectivity for passengers traveling to key international destinations, addressing the long-standing disruptions in flight services.