https://arab.news/pahaq
- New service is expected to boost trade, tourism and pilgrimage travel
- Iran Air flight 826 completed its inaugural journey on Wednesday night
KARACHI: Iran Air, the national flag carrier of Iran, completed its inaugural flight to Pakistan’s southwestern city of Quetta on Oct. 29, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said, marking the airline’s first direct connection between Mashhad and the Balochistan capital.
The airline will now operate one flight every Wednesday on the Mashhad–Zahedan–Quetta route, with the service expected to strengthen air connectivity and boost trade and tourism between the two neighboring countries.
“Iran Air flight 826 will now operate once weekly every Wednesday, arriving in Quetta at 9:30pm,” the PAA said in a statement on Thursday.
Balochistan Governor Jaffar Khan Mandokhel was the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony, which was also attended by Iran’s Consul General Ali Reza Rajaei and other dignitaries. The national anthems of both countries were played on the occasion.
The launch of Iran Air’s Quetta flight is expected to greatly facilitate travel for Shia pilgrims from Balochistan, who frequently visit Iranian cities of Mashhad and Qom.
The new air service will offer a safer, faster and more convenient alternative to the long and often challenging road journey through border crossings on buses, which have at times been targeted by separatist militants.