More PIA Flights Demanded for Chitral

CHITRAL: The selection of ?inappropriate? timings and days by the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) for Chitral has been resulting in frequent cancellation of flights and inconvenience to the passengers, according to sources.

The passengers complained that the airline had curtailed the number of flights on Chitral route from earlier 21 flights a week (three flights daily) to only two a week, which were being operated on Fridays and Sundays.

They said that the gap of only one day between the two flight days of the week had been causing inconvenience for them as one had to wait for five consecutive days to avail himself of the flight. They said that by introducing a midweek flight instead of Sunday the problem could be resolved.

?A person coming to Chitral from Islamabad or Peshawar on Friday can?t return by the next available flight on Sunday and as such he has to wait for the next flight on coming Friday or Sunday. Only the flight on Tuesday or Wednesday can suit such passengers,? they said. They claimed that flights operation in the afternoon was also said to be fau

A former captain pilot of the airline, Shahzada Sirajul Mulk, said that in the mountainous areas like Chitral the morning time was more airworthy than the afternoon when clouds started developing with each passing moment. He said that due to the irrational approach of the airline regarding schedule of days and timings, the tourists coming to Chitral for mountaineering and sightseeing got diverted to Gilgit-Baltistan due to the availability of daily two flights each for Gilgit and Skardu.

The local people insisted that there was no shortage of passengers and cargo to and from Chitral. They said that a large number of foreigners had been engaged in work on power and road projects in the district who traveled to and from Chitral only by air.

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2018

One thought on “More PIA Flights Demanded for Chitral

  1. The very important element of the PIA daily or a flight at each alternate day is essenctial for Chitralis. The reason for that is the transportation of patients to Peshawar or Islamad for specialized trsatment that is not available to the general public at Chitral. There are, usually patients on emergency basis need to be taken care of while travelling for such treatment. The road journey to reach to the available modern health facility at Peshawar or else where in the country is not recommendable and due to that constraint most of the patients die in between. Therefore, in such a circumstances the PIA flight, if operated on daily basis will be more than a blessing for the people besides, opening a vast opportunity for other travellers and especially for the tourists. My request, in this regard is due to the political leaders, the Member National Assembly, the Chief Minister KP, if he really interested to boost tourism in the province and other dignitaries at the helm of affairs that they must make it possible through taking up the case with the Federal Government with a subsequent directives to the PIA Authorities for early execution.

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