ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and Afghanistan’s Kam Air have signed an interline agreement to improve air connectivity between Afghanistan and destinations in the Middle East, a PIA spokesman said on Monday.

An interline agreement is a voluntary business contract between different airlines that lets them accept each other’s tickets and coordinate passenger travel across multiple flights.

As per the agreement, passengers can book their entire itinerary under a unified reservation, avoiding the need to purchase separate tickets for each leg, according to PIA spokesman Abdullah Khan.

Checked luggage from Kabul will be transferred at Islamabad airport to connecting PIA flights, while Afghan travelers heading to the Gulf could bypass immigration clearance in Pakistan as long as they remained airside in transit.

“This interline cooperation between Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and Afghanistan’s Kam Air establishes a streamlined transit route connecting Afghanistan to key destinations across the Middle East via Islamabad,” Khan told Arab News.

The currently active route includes Kabul, Islamabad and Dammam (DMM), connecting Afghan travelers and diaspora workers directly to eastern Saudi Arabia.

Another planned route would expand Kam Air connections to high-demand destinations such as Madinah, Muscat and Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates.

“This partnership expands regional connectivity for Afghan travelers while utilizing Islamabad as an operational air transit hub for South and West Asia,” Khan added.