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KARACHI: ��������’s low-cost airline Flyadeal has expanded its operations in Pakistan with inaugural flights to Peshawar and Islamabad cities recently, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) said in a statement on Monday. 

Jeddah-based Flyadeal, a sister company of Saudia Airlines, launched operations in Pakistan with an inaugural flight to the southern port city of Karachi on Feb. 1. On Sunday, the airline’s inaugural flight to Pakistan’s capital arrived at the Islamabad International Airport from Riyadh with 65 passengers on board, while the return flight left with 172 passengers. 

On Monday, the airline expanded its operations in the country further by operating its first flight to Peshawar. The flight arrived in the northwestern city’s Bacha Khan International Airport from Riyadh. 

“Flyadeal will now operate two weekly flights from Riyadh to Peshawar every Monday and Wednesday,” the PCAA said. 

Meanwhile, the airline will operate a weekly flight to Islamabad on Sundays, the statement added. 

“The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) welcomed Flyadeal’s entry into Pakistan’s aviation market, noting that the new services to Peshawar and Islamabad will strengthen connectivity, facilitate passenger convenience, and further boost ties between Pakistan and ��������,” the PCAA said. 

Flyadeal’s move to expand operations to Pakistan comes as �������� seeks to boost its tourism sector under the Vision 2030 program, which aims to attract over 150 million domestic and international tourists annually to the Kingdom by the end of the decade.

Every year, thousands of Pakistanis travel to the Kingdom and back for tourism and religious reasons. �������� is home to over 2.5 million Pakistani expatriates who live and work in the Kingdom.

ISLAMABAD: Senior Pakistani officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Commerce Minister Jam Kamal, wrapped up high-level visits to Bangladesh last week as both nations seek to mend decades of strained ties. 

The trips saw multiple agreements signed, including a visa waiver for diplomats, the establishment of a joint working group on trade, and cooperation between foreign service academies, with discussions centered on boosting economic cooperation and investment.

“In all his engagements, the DPM/FM expressed Pakistan’s strong desire to forge a brotherly relationship with Bangladesh for the mutual benefit of the people of the two countries,” Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement on Monday, following the conclusion of Dar’s two-day visit from Aug. 23–24.

During his meetings with Chief Adviser Prof. Muhammad Yunus and Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain, Dar discussed bilateral relations, trade, people-to-people contacts, cultural exchanges, and cooperation in education, humanitarian issues, and sports. 

He also met opposition leaders, including Bangladesh Nationalist Party Chairperson Khalida Zia and Jamaat-e-Islami chief Dr. Shafiqur Rehman.

“The two sides emphasized the need for sustaining the existing momentum of positive developments in bilateral relations,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on Sunday. “In that connection, they agreed to focus on regular institutional dialogue, early finalization of pending agreements and MoUs, and enhanced cooperation in the fields of trade and investment, education, capacity building, and connectivity.”

Commerce Minister Jam Kamal, who spent four days in Dhaka, met with business leaders across sectors during visits to Bangladesh’s Chambers of Commerce and Industries. His trip concluded with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish the Joint Working Group on Trade.

The visits mark an effort by Islamabad and Dhaka to reset ties after decades of bitterness rooted in Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence, which ended 24 years of the two countries existing as one. 

Analysts say the 2024 ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, under whose government Dhaka leaned more heavily toward Pakistan’s arch rival New Delhi, has helped create space for closer engagement between Pakistan and Bangladesh.