ISLAMABAD: Saudi carrier Riyadh Air has started operations in Pakistan with its inaugural flight from Riyadh arriving at Islamabad International Airport, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said on Saturday.
Flight RX-660 landed in Islamabad on Friday evening with 69 passengers, the PAA said.
An inauguration ceremony was held at the airport after the flight arrived. Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki attended the ceremony as the chief guest.
The ambassador said the new service would strengthen longstanding ties and air connectivity between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
Riyadh Air will operate seven flights a week between Riyadh and Islamabad, according to the PAA.
The new service is expected to meet strong travel demand among Pakistani workers, businesses, families and religious pilgrims.
More than two million Pakistanis live in Saudi Arabia, making Pakistan one of the Kingdom’s major aviation markets.
The PAA said Riyadh Air’s launch marked an important development in air connectivity between the two countries and would support closer bilateral cooperation.
Riyadh Air is fully owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. The airline plans to connect Riyadh with more than 100 destinations worldwide by the end of the decade as part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 strategy.
Saudi Arabia remains one of Pakistan’s key economic partners and a major source of workers’ remittances. Air travel between the two countries is also among the busiest routes in the region.
PAA Director General Air Vice Marshal Zeeshan Saeed welcomed the airline’s launch. He said the new service would improve connectivity, facilitate passenger travel and promote cooperation in the aviation sector.
Riyadh Air’s senior management also expressed confidence in the airline’s growth prospects in Pakistan, the PAA said.
The inaugural flight later departed Islamabad with 272 passengers.
Also Read: Saudi Airline Saudia Resumes Limited Flights to Dubai
Last month, Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, accompanied by KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, had inagurated Saudia airline first office in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provincial capital Peshawar.
