British Airways announces ‘first ever’ direct flights to Lahore from October

British Airways suspended flights to Cairo for seven days starting Saturday as a precaution to allow for an assessment of security there, the airline said in a statement. (File/ AFP)
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Updated 16 September 2020
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British Airways announces ‘first ever’ direct flights to Lahore from October

  • Airline resumed flights to Pakistan after more than a decade last year in June, already flies to Islamabad
  • British High Commissioner calls this “sign of confidence in Pakistan and the deepening ties between the two countries“

ISLAMABAD: British Airways has announced this week it will begin flying direct from the Pakistani city of Lahore to London Heathrow four days a week, commencing on October 14, 2020.

The airline resumed flights to Pakistan after more than a decade last year in June. It first flew to Islamabad in 1976.
“The ‘City of Gardens’, Lahore, will be the second city in Pakistan that British Airways will connect to London, US and Canada, the British high commission said in a statement.

“The airline already flies every single day from Islamabad, connecting friends and family as well as business contacts,” the statement said, added that flights would be operated by a Boeing 787-8 departing from Heathrow Terminal 5 and landing at Lahore’s International Airport.
“The first ever British Airways flights to Lahore is a sign of confidence in Pakistan, and the deepening ties between our two countries,” British High Commissioner in Islamabad, Christian Turner, said. “I hope it will open up even more opportunities for business links, people-to-people ties and tourism.”

Moran Birger, Head of Sales for The Middle East and Asia Pacific, said: “Our new services from Lahore will connect two of Pakistan’s biggest cities with London, and offer seamless transfer options to Manchester, the United States and Canada.”
“This new flight from Lahore represents our continued investment in Pakistan, and we look forward to welcoming our customers on board,” Birger added.


Uzbekistan president to arrive in Pakistan today to strengthen trade, energy cooperation

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Uzbekistan president to arrive in Pakistan today to strengthen trade, energy cooperation

  • Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to lead high-level delegation of ministers, business leaders on Feb. 5-6 visit, says Pakistan foreign office
  • Visit takes place days after Pakistan, Uzbekistan reaffirmed $2 billion trade target during intergovernmental commission meeting

ISLAMABAD: Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will arrive in Pakistan today, Thursday, with a high-level delegation to identify new avenues for bilateral cooperation in trade, defense, energy and other avenues, Pakistan's foreign ministry said. 

The visit takes place after the 10th session of the Pakistan–Uzbekistan Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) on Trade, Economic and Scientific-Technical Cooperation in Islamabad on Feb. 2. Both sides reaffirmed their $2 billion trade target and areed to push for regional connectivity, develop trade routes and accelerate cooperation in several sectors. 

Mirziyoyev will lead a high-level delegation comprising senior ministers and business leaders on a two-day state visit, Pakistan's foreign ministry said. 

"Discussions will focus on reviewing the entire gamut of bilateral relations and identifying new avenues to further deepen cooperation in diverse sectors including trade, energy, defense, education, people-to-people exchange and regional connectivity," the statement said. 

The Uzbek leader's visit takes place two days after Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in Islamabad to hold talks on trade, business and connectivity. 

Pakistan and Kazakhstan signed 37 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and set a target of raising bilateral trade to $1 billion within a year during Tokayev's visit. 

Pakistan and Uzbekistan have steadily increased economic ties in recent years as Islamabad seeks greater access to landlocked Central Asian markets, aiming to position itself as a regional transit and trade hub linking South Asia with Central Asia.

Pakistan was the first Central Asian partner with which Uzbekistan signed a bilateral Transit Trade Agreement, along with a Preferential Trade Agreement in March 2022, covering 17 items, which became operational in 2023.

Pakistan's finance ministry said last month that Azerbaijan's state energy company SOCAR was set to finalize an investment in the country’s oil and gas sector following high-level engagements at the World Economic Forum in Davos.