Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has announced the resumption of seasonal flights between Dubai and Skardu, a scenic snow-capped valley in Pakistan. The Skardu-Dubai flight has started on April 29, and the Dubai-Skardu flight will start on May 3. PIA launched this flight on August 14 last year, but it was suspended during the winter season due to severe weather conditions in Skardu.
Ambassador Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, Pakistan’s ambassador to the UAE, along with Hussain Muhammad, the consul general in Dubai, had a meeting with a delegation from Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) at the Pakistan Consulate General in Dubai. The delegation informed the ambassador that PIA will be launching direct flights from Dubai to Skardu starting May 3.
According to Zeeshan Ahmed, Regional Manager of PIA in Dubai, the airline will restart this direct flight operation on the Dubai-Skardu route from April 19.This once-a-week flight will be available every Friday from Dubai for residents and tourists.
This flight from Dubai to Skardu provides an opportunity not only for Pakistani expats but also for more than 200 nationalities living in the UAE to explore the untapped scenic beauty of Skardu and Gilgit Baltistan, which is located around 570km north of Islamabad.
The new flight operation is consistent with PIA’s CSR policy to provide travel convenience to Gilgit Baltistan residents and promote tourism in Pakistan, as explained by Ahmed.
He said the airline is committed to providing Pakistanis and foreign tourists the best of its services by launching new flights on unconventional routes. He added that the new flight provides a good opportunity for UAE residents to visit the beautiful valleys and mountains of the Gilgit-Baltistan region during summer break.
Passengers from Dubai can reach the scenic valleys, the cold desert, and the highest mountain ranges including K-2 within three hours of flight.
It normally takes more than 20 hours to travel by road through the mountains on the historic Karakorum highway to reach Skardu from Islamabad.
The average temperature in Gilgit-Baltistan during summer is below 20C while it is covered with heavy snow during winter. Desert safari in the dunes of the cold desert in Skardu with a backdrop of snowy mountains and rocky terrain is an experience unforgettable
