Al Ain: Turbat, in Pakistan's Balochistan region, and Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, are now connected directly by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

The weekly flight will give Pakistani expatriates from Balochistan residing in the UAE a direct line of communication. Previously, in order to get to isolated parts of Balochistan, they had to pass through Karachi.

Every Thursday, once a week, an ATR flight will be conducted.

On Wednesday, the new route was formally opened at Al Ain International Airport by Pakistani Ambassador Faisal Niaz Trimzi.

"We see tremendous potential for further collaboration with the launch of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight from Al Ain airport to Turbat, Baluchistan," he stated.

Two weekly flights are also operated by PIA on the Al Ain-Islamabad route.

"We believe that additional destinations, particularly Peshawar and other major cities, should be included to increase the number of flights," the Ambassador stressed.

Since Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (KPK) is home to the majority of Pakistani expats living in Al Ain, the community has demanded that PIA reopen the Al-Ain-Peshwar route.

Al Ain-Peshwar route in high demand

The Al Ain-Islamabad sector replaced the Al Ain-Peshwar route, which had been in operation since April 1994. However, Rahim Khan, a longtime Al Ain resident, claimed that this change has caused more inconvenience to foreigners living in remote areas of KPK because they now have to travel long distances by road to get to their destinations.

On the fringes of the ceremony, Ambassador Tirmizi met with Elena Sorlini, CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports, at Al Ain International Airport.

Tourism opportunities

The speaker emphasised that Pakistan's advantageous location between South Asia and the Middle East presents numerous opportunities, particularly for tourists and Emiratis living in the United Arab Emirates.

"We value the CEO's offer of support in this endeavour and are dedicated to increasing flight connectivity from Al Ain airport to other cities in Pakistan," he continued.

The CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports, Elena Sorlini, expressed gratitude to the Ambassador and his group for coming to the event aimed at promoting flight activities from Al Ain airport and extended her support for expanding the airport's flight schedule to include more destinations in Pakistan.

Mahwish Khan, Senior Manager, Aviation Development, Abu Dhabi; Sharifa Al Kathiri, Head of Retail Services; and Sultan Al Dhaheri, Senior Vice President, Government Relations, were also present at the meeting. Senior officials in attendance included Tariq Gulzar, Area Manager of PIA, Nasrullah Khan Bangash, PIA Manager in Al Ain, and other officials.