Pakistan’s national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), on Wednesday said a planned first flight to the country’s scenic Swat Valley in nearly 17 years would fly as per schedule on March 26, after reports on Tuesday that the flight had been canceled.
PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez Khan on Tuesday night said the flight had been postponed, due to lack of “security arrangements” at Saidu Sharif airport, Swat.
The statement said PIA flights will operate two days a week on Fridays and Mondays “to promote tourism.”
However, on Wednesday, the PIA spokesman issued a statement saying “after removing the initial concerns, the first flight will now depart from Lahore via Islamabad on Friday morning to Saidu Sharif.”
Saidu Sharif is the fourth tourist destination after Skardu, Gilgit and Chitral where PIA now has flight operations, the statement read.
