British Airways to resume flights to Pakistan after decadelong hiatus

ISLAMABAD－British Airways announced on Tuesday it will resume flights to Pakistan next summer, in a major vote of confidence from a Western airline a decade after suspending operations due to security fears.

The British carrier, which halted services in 2008 after the deadly Marriott Hotel bombing in Islamabad, will return in June 2019 with three weekly flights from London's Heathrow airport to the Pakistani capital, airline officials said.

BA had six weekly flights to the Pakistani capital before the Marriott attack, which killed more than 50 people and triggered a major drawdown by embassies and international agencies over safety concerns.

Tickets starting at $630 were due to go on sale from Tuesday.

BA said the route－which will be serviced by the Boeing 787 Dreamliner－is among four direct long-haul flights being introduced in 2019, along with Pittsburgh and Charleston in the US, and Osaka in Japan.

The carrier's announcement was "a reflection of the great improvements in the security situation in Pakistan" in the years since, said British High Commissioner to Pakistan Thomas Drew in a statement.

"We only fly somewhere when we know it's safe to do so," Robert Williams, BA's head of sales for Asia, told a news conference in Islamabad.

Thomas Drew, Britain's top diplomat in Pakistan, said the resumption of flights was excellent news and would "give a particular boost to our growing trade and investment links".

Pakistan's government and its military also welcomed the announcement. Major General Asif Ghafoor, the military spokesman, said the development was one of the dividends of the decadeslong struggle of the Pakistani nation and security forces to restore peace and stability in the country that are on the way.

The announcement caused a stir on Twitter, where it was greeted with jubilation by many Pakistanis.

The army tweeted its gratitude to the airline using the hashtag #PeacefulPakistan, while the government's official account proclaimed the country a "new investment destination of Asia".

The announcement came after Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan vowed to revitalize its struggling tourism industry in effort to bring in much-needed revenue to its fragile economy.

Pakistan has a rich cultural and archaeological heritage, along with serene alpine valleys, pristine beaches and vast deserts peppered with vibrant Islamic shrines.

The country is also home to some of the world's tallest peaks including K-2－the second highest summit after Qomolangma (also known as Mount Everest in the West), which sits atop a region of 120 other mountains rising above 7,000 meters.

AP - AFP