BA resumption to help Pakistan tourism: PM

[ahlam1399]

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday expressed confidence the resumption of British Airways (BA) flights to Pakistan would help promote the country’s tourism potential as a BA Boeing 787 Dreamliner brought 240 passengers from Heathrow to Islamabad International Airport after a decade.“The restart of British Airways flights to Pakistan is a good omen and it will also increase trade and investment activities,” Khan told BA’s Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Brem who called on him here, Radio Pakistan reported.British High Commissioner Thomas Drew, Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan, and the PM’s Adviser on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood were also present in the meeting.BA’s return to Pakistan marks a major vote of confidence from a Western airline after suspending operations due to security fears over a decade ago. The British carrier — which halted services in 2008 following the deadly Marriott Hotel bombing in Islamabad — is running three weekly flights from London’s Heathrow airport to Islamabad.Britain is home to more than a million people of Pakistani origin, making it the largest Pakistani diaspora community in Europe.“Britain’s flag carrier is back. The two countries, so close in so many ways, take a step closer,” British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Thomas Drew, said in a statement. “It is of course tribute to the great improvements in the security situation in Pakistan in recent years.”BA had six weekly flights to Islamabad before the Marriott attack, which killed more than 50 people and triggered a major drawdown by embassies and international agencies over safety concerns. The Pakistan International Airlines had until Monday been the only carrier with direct flights between the two countries.Since the attack, the country has been largely dependent on Middle Eastern airlines such as Emirates and Etihad, with most international flights routed through the Gulf.“Usually I take the connecting flights so this was a very refreshing experience and looking forward to going back as well,” Sana Khan, a doctorbased Britain, told AFP after touching down in Islamabad.In a press conference later, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan credited High Commissioner Thomas Drew for successfully pleaded the case of the Pakistani diaspora and nationals in the United Kingdom to revive British Airways.She also credited the PM’s aide on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Zulfi Bukhari who “also played his role in resuming British Airways operations in the country”.The arrival of British Airways, she said was an expression of trust in Naya Pakistan and its government. “I hope that the British high commissioner will also bring the English cricket team to Pakistan for a cricket series.”At the same presser, Brem expressed the desire to start its operations in other cities in Pakistan after Islamabad. He said his company wants to provide more facilities to passengers travelling from Pakistan. He said restarting flights in Pakistan is a big milestone in the company’s history.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/com/cwEr/~4/Ea5fUMkopeY

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