Monitoring Desk
Virgin Atlantic will start direct flights to Pakistan from December this year, the UK- based British airline announced on Thursday.
Direct flights will be flown from Heathrow Airport to both Islamabad and Lahore. Additionally, the airline will operate direct flights to Islamabad from Manchester Airport.
Bookings will start from September, the airline added.
We’re thrilled to announce that from December, we’ll be flying direct to Pakistan. We’ll have flights from @HeathrowAirport to both Lahore and Islamabad, plus direct services from @manairport to Islamabad. Flights go on sale in September, and we can’t wait to welcome you. pic.twitter.com/61FS9dkaFb
— virginatlantic (@VirginAtlantic) August 27, 2020
According to English newspaper, Daily Dawn, the announcement comes after the British Airways (BA) sought permission from Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) to operate flights to Lahore. Earlier this week, a team of experts from the airline had visited Allama Iqbal International Airport to review arrangements made by the airport management.
The airline started flights to Islamabad this month, which had been suspended due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.
BA had resumed flights to Pakistan in 2019, after an 11-year hiatus. The airline had suspended services to Pakistan in Sept 2008 in the wake of the Marriott Hotel bombing in Islamabad
Virgin Atlantic, a trading name of Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited and Virgin Atlantic International Limited, is a British airline with its head office in Crawley, England.
The airline was established in 1984 as British Atlantic Airways, and was originally planned by its co-founders Randolph Fields and Alan Hellary to fly between London and the Falkland Islands. Soon after changing the name to Virgin Atlantic Airways, Fields sold his shares in the company after disagreements with Sir Richard Branson over the management of the company. The maiden flight from Gatwick Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport took place on 22 June 1984.
