PIA starts international flights from Gwadar

Maiden flight takes off for Muscat with 39 passengers onboard

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) added another feather to its cap as it began international flight operations from the New Gwadar International Airport, with the maiden flight taking off for the Omani capital of Muscat on Friday.

A PIA spokesperson said that that the inaugural flight, PK-197, carried 39 passengers.

They were seen off at the airport by the senior PIA officials. According to the spokesperson, the national-flag carrier would operate a weekly flight on eh Gwadar-Muscat route.

Keeping up with its tradition, the national airline took off from New Gwadar International Airport with its inaugural international flight for Muscat," the spokesperson said in a press release. "PIA is working to activate air operations across the country in line with national aspirations and public requirements."

The New Gwadar International Airport formally began its operations on Monday, welcoming its first commercial flight – PIA's PK-503 – that symbolised a new chapter in the country's aviation history and a step forward towards making Pakistan a hub of regional connectivity.

Covering 4,300 acres, the airport is Pakistan's largest and represents a significant step towards regional development. It is a 4F-grade state-of-the-art facility, which can handle the largest civil aircraft. Its 3,658-meter-long, 75-meter-wide runway, sets a benchmark in engineering standards.

The airport is constructed at a cost of approximately Rs50 billion, with the assistance of China, as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The Chinese Embassy in an X post termed the airport "a shining example of China-Pakistan friendship".

Launched in 2013, the CPEC, a flagship project of the China- Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is a corridor linking the Gwadar Port in Pakistan's Balochistan province with Kashgar in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.