KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has started regular flight operations from three cities to Fujairah city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The national flag carrier launched the inaugural flight from Lahore on Monday while flights from Islamabad and Peshawar will begin on Wednesday.
The first aircraft, PK-243, with 296 passengers on board landed at Fujairah International Airport at 10:58 am, records showed.
The airline has been increasing operational capacity since the sheikhdom eased entry restrictions for residents stranded in Pakistan. In August, it launched flights from Islamabad, Peshawar, Lahore and Karachi to the northernmost emirate of Ras Al Khaimah.
It has already been operating flights from all major cities to different emirates of the UAE, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.
Earlier in October, the airline resumed its Kuwait operations with two weekly flights after it was allowed to operate in the kingdom following a decade-long suspension due to a host of reasons.
Signalling a boom in business, PIA last month announced of acquiring an Airbus-320 on dry lease for a period of six years, making it the third aircraft that will be inducted into its fleet under the incumbent management.
“Another Airbus-320 reached Islamabad International Airport from the French city of Perpignan via Egypt. The aircraft will be inducted into PIA’s fleet in the next few days,” a PIA spokesman announced at the time.
