RAWALPINDI:  Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has decided to operate ATR flights to Saidu Sharif (Swat) from Islamabad from March 26.

The PIA has informed the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) that it had planned to resume flight operations from Lahore and Islamabad to Saidu Sharif from March 26.

The national flag carrier will initially operate two weekly flights. The first flight will depart for Saidu Sharif from Islamabad on March 26.

The PIA management had requested the CAA to make all necessary arrangements and also mobilise the ATC, ASF and other required teams to make the successful resumption of the flight operation at the airport.

On the other side, the CAA has finalised all arrangements at Saidu Sharif airport after PIA had written a letter to the CAA requesting to make all necessary arrangements at the airport. The infrastructure to handle the domestic operation has been available since September 2019 and the airport can handle small aircraft ATR-70.

The Saidu Sharif airport had been nonoperational since 2014 after the national flag carrier ceased to operate commercial flight to this station.

The CAA has incurred huge expenditure in rehabilitation of the airport including runway and car parking. All the other sections had been directed to make necessary arrangements, including deployment of essential staff to make the airport operational before March 25.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2021