Swat’s Saidu Sharif airport welcomes first flight after gap of 17 years

According to details, a flight of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), PK-640 landed at Swat’s airport at around 11am. A total of 48 passengers were on board, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar and Communications Minister Murad Saeed.

The flight earlier took off from the Islamabad International Airport at 10:00 am where a small ceremony was held to mark the resumption of flights operation from Islamabad to Swat.

Speaking to the media on the occasion, the aviation minister said that resumption of flight operation would not just add to PIA’s revenue but also promote tourism.

“The people of Pakistan have fought terrorism alongside security forces,” he added.

The Saidu Sharif airport had been non-operational in 2004 due to terrorism.

The government is making airports in northern areas operational again in order to promote tourism in these areas. Prior to Swat’s Saidu Sharif Airport, Skardu, Gilgit and Chitral airports were also made operational.