PIA asked to operate daily flights on Chitral route

The people of Chitral have asked Pakistan International Airlines to operate flights on daily basis on Chitral-Peshawar-Islamabad route and fix morning time for flight operation. — APP/File

The people of Chitral have asked Pakistan International Airlines to operate flights on daily basis on Chitral-Peshawar-Islamabad route and fix morning time for flight operation. — APP/File

CHITRAL: The people of Chitral have asked Pakistan International Airlines to operate flights on daily basis on Chitral-Peshawar-Islamabad route and fix morning time for flight operation.

A number of frequent travellers said that Chitral route had huge potential for attracting high number of passengers and luggage for cargo.

Fakhre Alam, a leading local businessman, said that very few people availed the existing flight on Fridays and they planned for by road journey which was assured as the flights were often cancelled due to inclement weather.

He said that PIA used to operate three flights daily since 1970s till late 1990s. He added that in the context of present scenario, there was no reason of the shortage of passengers.

Mr Alam said that over the decades, the population of Chitral increased, the living standard of people improved and more public and private sector organisations started working there engaging a large number of human resources while tourism also flourished in the area.

He said that all those factors contributed to increase in the number of passengers but the national flag carrier curtailed the 21 flights per week to only one which meant that the airlines did not want the route to sustain.

The businessman said that the fares were also exorbitant as compared to the domestic routes of Karachi, Gilgit and Skardu whose flight duration was about one-and-a-half hour but their fares were nearly equal to Chitral-Islamabad route which took only 30 minutes.

He said that a large number of foreigners travelled in the flight and paid four-time higher as compared to the local passengers.

Riaz Diwan Begi, former member of district council, said that the fixation of late time of the day for the flight was quite inappropriate as Chitral was mountainous region where weather remained clear in the morning time.

He recalled that in the old days, the timing used to be so early that they performed their morning prayers at Peshawar airport and joined their families at breakfast in Chitral and the cancellation rate of flights was too low. .. Source

One thought on “PIA asked to operate daily flights on Chitral route

  1. PIA in common with any commercial service is constrained by commercial factor i.e. demand and supply. This in all probability reflects their service schedule. So the ball is in the court of Chitrali customers. Weather is a great factor if weather for flight to Chitral may be inconsistent as compared to flight to other places.
    However the first thing Chitralis can do is to launch a survey of people prepared to use the air services. How many people on what days would like to afford the service? Then on the basis of survey, make representation to the PIA.
    If they get the required services from PIA , well and good.
    Alternatively they can approach firms offering charter services and negotiate the terms with them. This means that some people will be needed to work full time organising Charter air services to and from their destinations.
    We the people can help ourselves greatly when we all shall be prepared to organise ourselves and learn to depend on our own potential thus to work together to be able to solve our problems through self help.
    May I most humbly suggest that people in Chitral start organising their regular coming together in appointed days and places to discuss matters that concern them and then try to help themselves the way they can as illustrated above to organise more frequent air services in and out of Chitral. Wishing people who will try to help themselves collectively, every success, as organising self help is the best way to help ourselves. This is also the best way to discover and develop collective leadership of intellectuals amongst us.

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