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The Pakistani community in Qatar has welcomed Pakistan International Airline's (PIA) decision to restore its weekly direct flight to Islamabad from May 31, while urging to add new destinations like Multan, Faisalabad and Sialkot. They have also urged to resume flights to major cities like Karachi and Lahore.
"We are thankful to our community members for their patronage and assure them of best services at all times. We will consider all workable suggestions and will try our best to live up to the expectations of our community members. We are pleased to inform our valued customers that PIA will operate Islamabad-Doha-Islamabad weekly flight with best immediate onward domestic and international connections," said PIA's country manager Khalid Hamid.
The Islamabad-Doha-Islamabad flights will be operated on Thursdays and Fridays and passengers can get domestic connections for Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Multan, Quetta and Skardu, said the country manager.
Meanwhile, passengers can also avail themselves of PIA's flights to Dubai, London, Manchester, Paris, Milan, Barcelona, Beijing and Tokyo from Islamabad.
PIA is in the process of re-branding and reinventing itself by improving safety and onboard products and services. The airline has recently introduced its new livery having a markhor, the national animal of Pakistan, on the tail of every plane.
With the resumption of Islamabad flight on every Friday, the total number of the national carrier's weekly flights from Doha to Pakistan has reached three — with two flights to Peshawar on Sunday and Wednesday.
"We appreciate the efforts of PIA Doha office to restore the flights for Islamabad. At the same time, we urge to start a flight for Multan International Airport. Multan is an industrial hub of Pakistan and the new flight will serve residents of south Punjab. PIA also needs to work on its schedule of connected flights for the convenience of its passengers," said Sohni Dharti Chairman Rana Anwar Ali.
"While rejoicing the resumption of Islamabad flight, I would like to make some suggestions. PIA should consider adding more destinations considering growing Pak-Qatar relations and the Fifa World Cup to be held in Doha in 2022. It would be a great idea to add more destinations to cities like Faisalabad, Sialkot and Multan with suitable timings. Fares should be competitive and some discounts should be offered to the remittance card holders. Food quality on board should be better. Intranet service should be provided. I would also request the community members to support their national carrier by making PIA the first choice for their travel needs," said Ghulam Fareed, an expatriate.
"I really appreciate the efforts of the country manager Khalid Hamid and his team in restoring the much awaited Islamabad flight, which will not only serve residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi but also adjoining areas like Murree Gujar Khan, Chakwal, Jhelum, Muzaffarabad and many others. I hope the national carrier will now consider flights for other destinations as well," said Qazi Saleem, another expatriate
"I am very happy with the PIA expansion plans and pleased to see it is giving importance to Qatar. The relations between Pakistan and Qatar are witnessing an upswing trend and the move will send a positive message as Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan. We wish the entire PIA Doha team all the success and hope PIA will launch more flights to further enhance business opportunities for both the brotherly countries," said Qaiser Anwar, an expatriate
"The restoration of Islamabad flight is really good news and the move is welcome. This will open more credible travelling options for Pakistani community members residing in Qatar. I am sure the new Islamabad Airport is ready to accommodate more flights with its increased capacity. Efforts made by PIA's local office are commendable to make this happen. We hope this journey of progress continues and we would like to see more direct flights to other cities of Pakistan starting soon," said expat Imran Zia.
The new flight will greatly help those passengers who were planning to celebrate Eid Al Fitr in Pakistan. The flights will be operated from Islamabad's new airport inaugurated by Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi recently. The modern airport has the capacity to handle 15 million passengers annually.
