First Virgin Atlantic flight touches down in Islamabad, strengthening Pakistan-UK friendship

Virgin Atlantic will offer frequent weekly flights from Pakistan to Britain on three routes

British airline Virgin Atlantic’s maiden flight to Pakistan landed in Islamabad on Friday morning to meet the growing demand for business and leisure travel between Pakistan and the United Kingdom.

Pakistan’s Adviser on Overseas Pakistanis Zulfikar Bukhari and UK High Commissioner Christian Turner welcome the passengers of the Virgin Atlantic at Islamabad International Airport.

Boost trade and tourism

Welcoming the new airline, Zulfi Bukhari hoped that the revival of international airlines will boost trade and tourism in the country and improve trade ties even trade ties between Pakistan and the United Kingdom. “It will further enhance the scope of relations between Pakistan and the United Kingdom” he said.

British High Commissioner Christian Turner described the Virgin Atlantic touch down in Pakistan as “a historic moment” which will further strengthen friendship between Pakistan and the UK.

Around “18 months ago we had no British airlines flying in Pakistan. Today we have over 20 direct flights a week to both Islamabad and Lahore. This is a sign of confidence in Pakistan” which will improve people to people links and boost trade between the two countries, the British ambassador said.

Flight routes

Virgin Atlantic will operate at least 11 flights a week:

• Four times a week from London Heathrow to Lahore
• Three times a week from Heathrow to Islamabad
• Four times weekly from Manchester to Islamabad

Tickets are now available to purchase at 94000 PKR return fare per person.

Services

Virgin Atlantic will operate state-of-the-art 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft on all routes from Pakistan.:

• Airline’s high class, premium and economy cabins.
• Over 1,000 hours of in-flight entertainment, including a selection of Urdu films and TV programs.
• Halal food options for customers.

Connectivity and cargo

The UK is the largest Pakistani expatriate community in the world with around 1.6 million people. The new Virgin Atlantic services will provide significant connectivity to their friends and family and loved ones.

Virgin Atlantic will offer seamless connectivity in North America via London Heathrow, New York will provide quick connections to destinations such as JFK, Boston and Los Angeles. Virgin Atlantic will provide further connectivity with its transatlantic joint venture partner Delta Airlines to more than 200 destinations within North America.

Virgin Atlantic will also provide a fast, efficient cargo service which will help improve the volume of trade between UK and Pakistan as the UK is the largest export market for Pakistan in Europe for goods such as textiles, apparel and machinery.