SKARDU, June 5: Passengers, tour operators and hoteliers on Saturday criticised PIA authorities for canceling flights to Skardu over the past three days although the weather has been clear.

This situation is severely affecting tourism which is causing a great loss of income to people in tourism-related business as well as to the national treasury.

Talking to Dawn a passenger said, the weather was clear on Saturday and the flight after flying a long distance from Islamabad to Skardu returned back to Islamabad.

A tour operator said, “tourists season has commenced in the Northern Areas. Seven foreign and one Pakistani expedition group have departed Skardu for Baltoro the other days to attempt various peaks and many still to visit Baltistan. But perpetual flight cancellation is badly affecting tourist flow to the region”. Because of non regular flight schedule the foreign tourists also cancel their program and they move to other countries like Nepal, China and India where the tourists are fully entertained by their governments by operating special flights to the tourist zones. Where as our government is doing nothing to facilitate the tourists except verbal claims

A hotelier said cancellation of flights to Gilgit and Skardu is not a new matter. They demanded of President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaakat Aziz and Minister Tourism Nilofar Bakhtiar that if they have to boost tourism in the Northern Areas they should make authorities of PIA to operate special flights to Northern Areas, if it is not possible, the routine flights to Gilgit and Skardu be insured.

They said the Northern Areas have a vast potential for tourism but the only thing which is hindering on the way of tourism is irregular flight schedule and unavailability of an alternative shortest road to Northern Areas.

They demanded that orders be issued to start work on a proposed alternative road for Northern Areas.