PIA Lahore-Muscat service to be launched

Muscat: After connecting Salalah with Lahore, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has decided to start direct flights from Muscat to Lahore from June 15, a senior official at the airline said.
Shahzad Paracha, country manager, PIA Oman, said this will help the Pakistani community living in Muscat. “Earlier, they had to change flights at Karachi to travel to Lahore while travelling with PIA,” he said.
The flight from Muscat to Lahore will operate on every Thursday. “After connecting Lahore, direct flights to Multan will be our next priority,” Paracha said.
The first PIA flight from Lahore will depart from the Alama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore at 12.30 pm and will land in Muscat at 2.30 pm. The same flight will then leave for Lahore an hour later at 3.30 pm and will arrive in Lahore at 7 pm.
The airbus A320 plane operating in the sector will have a capacity of 158 passengers, with eight Club Class seats and 150 seats in the economy class.
PIA operates as many as 16 weekly flights from Oman to Pakistan, covering major destinations, such as Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Sialkot, Peshawar, Gwadar and Turbat with a direct service.
The airline has nearly doubled its Oman operations in recent years, including its weekly flights from eight in 2014 to 16 now.
The airline recently added a state-of-the-art Boeing 738 airplane to its flight operations in Oman. From Salalah, PIA operates flights to Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Sialkot.