Air China launches flights to connect Beijing with Islamabad

BEIJING: Air China today launched flights connecting Beijing to Islamabad and Karachi, the first direct air services operated by the Chinese airlines to Pakistani cities.

Flights will take off every Monday, Wednesday and Friday evening from Beijing, arrive in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad at night and land in the economic hub of Karachi after midnight.

Flights will return from Karachi early next morning, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

There has been growing demand for flights between China and Pakistan as the two countries launched the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The number of Chinese workers in Pakistan reached nearly 8,000 by the end of 2014.

Air China has also launched a direct flight to Mumbai.

The airline will also launch direct flights from Beijing to the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo on Tuesday. That will take the carrier to six destinations in South Asia and 19 destinations in the Asia-Pacific area.