A Sialkot-based private airline on Wednesday flew its inaugural flight to the Saudi port city of Jeddah, said an official statement released by the country’s diplomatic mission in the kingdom that described the development as another milestone in the bilateral relations between the two countries.
The Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industries introduced Air Sial in 2017, and it began operations in December of that same year. The airline connects Pakistan’s main cities with locations in the Middle East and Europe via both domestic and international flights.
Its first flight was received by Pakistan’s consul general Khalid Majid and other officials in Jeddah.
The statement said that Majid “expressed confidence that the new airline would enhance connectivity between the two brotherly countries, paving the way for greater collaboration and increased trade” and “hailed it as a significant achievement in further strengthening the [Pak-Saudi] bilateral relations.” Majid also expressed his gratitude to the Saudi government for supporting and hosting Air Sial.
The Sialkot business community worked together to establish Air Sial. The city, which is the centre of the nation’s cottage industries and is well-known globally for producing high-end sporting goods and surgical instruments, is situated in the most populous province of the nation, Punjab.
The airline has also selected a strategically important location in the kingdom because Jeddah functions as both a major commercial hub and the entry point for pilgrims travelling to the Islamic holy towns of Madinah and Makkah.
