Flydubai begins operations in Pakistan's northwest as first flight lands in Peshawar
ISLAMABAD: Flydubai, an Emirati government-owned airline, has launched its daily flights to the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, the Pakistani Airports Authority (PAA) said on Friday.
Peshawar in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has a rich history that makes it one of the oldest cities in South Asia. Peshawar features cultural landmarks like the historic Bala Hisar Fort and the Qissa Khwani Bazaar, which once served as a gathering places for traders and poets.
The inaugural flydubai flight arrived at Peshawar's Bacha Khan International Airport at around 12:30am on Friday, carrying 164 passengers, according to the PAA. It was given a water cannon salute upon arrival at the airport, followed by a ceremony to mark the start of airline operations in Peshawar.
'Flight FZ-375 departed back to Dubai at 2:20am with 184 passengers,' the PAA said in a statement. 'Flydubai will operate seven flights a week.'
Flydubai has built a growing network of more than 130 destinations, 97 of which were underserved markets and did not previously have direct air links to Dubai, according to the airline, which has a fleet of 89 Boeing 737 aircraft.
The airline first started operating flights to Pakistan in 2010 with the launch of flights to the southern port city of Karachi. In addition to Islamabad and Lahore, the carrier also flies to Faisalabad, Multan, Quetta and Sialkot cities of Pakistan.
Flydubai this month said its flights to Peshawar airport will operate from Terminal 2 at Dubai International (DXB).
'Flydubai will operate a daily service between Dubai and Peshawar, offering customers from the UAE and the region more options for travel,' it said.
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