‘Direct flights to Kazakhstan from April’
The existing airport is capable of handling only small aircraft while the new airport is being designed to cater to the needs of large Airbus A-380 aircraft. Photo: File
Kazakh Ambassador Yerzhan Kistafin announced on Wednesday that Kazakhstan was aiming to start direct flights between Pakistan and Kazakhstan.
The envoy said direct flights with be started between Almaty and Lahore in April, and Almaty and Karachi in May this year to help promote business-to-business, and people-to-people relations.
"President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev will visit Pakistan this year, which will start a new chapter of trade and economic relations between the two countries", the ambassador said while addressing the business community during his visit to the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI).
Yerzhan said that 20 MoUs would be signed during the visit of Kazakhstan's president to further strengthen the cooperation between the two countries in multiple fields.
He also extended an invitation to business people to visit Kazakhstan to join the launch of direct flights.
He appreciated the role of Zafar Bakhtawari, former president of ICCI for the first-ever direct flights between the two countries.
He said a delegation of Pakistan's businesswomen would also visit Kazakhstan to explore business cooperation with Kazakh counterparts.
"Kazakhstan intends to sign a transit trade agreement, and agreement between the banking sectors of both the countries that will provide a legal framework to their business communities for bilateral trade promotion", he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 23rd, 2023.