QUETTA: The general manager of PIA, Balochistan, Lodhi Muhammad Sadiq, said on Monday that the national carrier will launch more direct flights between Quetta and Jeddah and plans are in the pipeline to connect Balochistan with other big cities.

Mr Sadiq said this during a meeting with business leaders and office-bearers of Quetta Chamber of Commerce here on Monday.

“Efforts are under way to link Balochistan with other big cities by launching more flights,” the PIA general manager said, adding that from January next year there will be three weekly direct fights between Quetta and Jeddah.

The PIA general manager said that flights from Islamabad to Paris will commence from January 10 next year.

He said the Memorandum of Understanding between PIA and the Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry for travel-related services will also be renewed soon.

The business leaders requested Mr Sadiq to resume PIA flights from Quetta to Peshawar, Gwadar, and Zahedan.

He said that additional Quetta-Jeddah flights starting from January 2025 would also include cargo services to enable local exporters to ship perishable items from Balochistan to Saudi Arabia.

Similarly, he said, exporters could benefit from Islamabad-Paris flights which will start from Jan 10 next year, for using them for cargo shipments.

Mr Sadiq also suggested that traders exporting goods to Australia could utilise PIA flights from Islamabad to Kuala Lumpur, from where cargo could be sent to Australia.

He said that plans are also under way to soon launch direct flights to US and UK.

Referring to flights to Gwadar, he said that flights to Gwadar have been suspended due to a lack of demand, as there was only 10 per cent occupancy rate over a year. Similarly, he said, the Quetta-Peshawar flights were discontinued due to a shortage of aircraft, but these operations would be resumed after new planes are added to the fleet.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2024