Islamabad: National airline PIA has started its direct flights to London, on the occasion of which a simple but grand ceremony was held at Islamabad Airport.
The ceremony was attended by senior officials including PIA Consortium Chairman Arif Habib, Defense Secretary Lieutenant General (retd) Muhammad Ali and British High Commissioner Jane Marriott. The inaugural flight was also formally bid farewell.
A cake was cut during the ceremony, while a lucky passenger was given a 660 cc car through a draw. Gifts were also distributed among other passengers, which made the atmosphere of the event more pleasant.
In his address, the Defense Secretary said that this flight will further strengthen the relations between Pakistan and the United Kingdom. The British High Commissioner also congratulated PIA on the start of London operations.
The Chief Executive Officer of PIA presented commemorative shields to the guests.
According to a PIA spokesperson, this initiative has been taken to provide better travel facilities to more than 1.6 million Pakistanis living in the United Kingdom.
He said that initially four weekly flights will be operated between Pakistan and London, three of which will be from Islamabad and one from Lahore.
