A privately- owned Pakistani airline, Serene Air, announced on Friday the launch of 02 weekly flights from Karachi to Beijing via Islamabad from 18 November 2023. The airline representative told Gwadar Pro that flight KHI-ISB- PKX would land at Dazing International Airport, one of the two international airports serving Beijing, the other one being Beijing Capital International Airport. He said the new direct flight from Pakistan to China will provide more economical options for Pakistani and Chinese travelers, including the business community and students, to directly reach different cities between China and Pakistan. He believed that it would also facilitate personnel from both countries working on different projects under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistan.

The airline launched its first international flights to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in January 2021 and obtained permission from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority to expand internationally. The privately-owned low- cost carrier has been operating domestic flights since 2017. According to Pakistani law, an airline has to fly within the country for at least a year before expanding into foreign markets. Earlier, the national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) introduced connected flights between Pakistan and 16 captivating cities in China via Beijing in partnership with Air China. The Chinese cities include Guangzhou, Wuhan, Urumqi, Shen¬zhen, Xian, Shenyang, Shanghai, Ningbo, Nanjing, Harbin, Hangzhou, Hohhot, Dunhuang, Chengdu, Changchun, and Chongqing.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP) — Pak-China