BEIJING, July 17 (DNA): Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) resumed its passenger flights on Beijing-Islamabad route after a gap of nearly seven months when PK-855 took off from Capital International Airport for Islamabad on Sunday.

The national flag carrier resumed its commercial passenger flights on Islamabad-Xian and Beijing-Islamabad section from last month but the aircraft had to return back to Islamabad from Xian as Beijing Capital Airport was closed for the international passenger flights following Covid-19 prevention, official sources told APP here.

PIA flight PK-854 arrived in Xian from Islamabad on Saturday. The PIA aircraft arrived in Beijing from Xian after no Covid 19 case was found. Then flight PK-855 returned to Islamabad from Beijing Capital International Airport today.

It may be mentioned here that the PIA operated its last flight between Beijing-Islamabad on December 19, 2021.

PIA is also operating direct weekly passenger flights between Islamabad and Chengdu, capital city of China’s Sichuan province on every Wednesday which is a new destination in China in addition to Xian and Beijing.

Chengdu is the third destination other than Beijing for PIA. In March, PIA was allowed to operate flights for Chinese cities of Xian and Guangzhou from Pakistan.

The Beijing-Islamabad flight will facilitate passengers especially living in the Chinese capital including officials, traders and students.

The flight will also facilitate Chinese personnel working on different projects being completed under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistan.

Pakistan passenger who left for Islamabad from Beijing Capital Airport said that PIA is expanding its flights network for China providing Pakistani and Chinese travelers to have more options to directly reach in different cities between China and Pakistan.