BEIJING: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will resume its weekly flight from Islamabad to Beijing on Oct 30 after approval from Chinese aviation authority, official sources said on Friday.

The flight PK-854 first since February 2020 will depart from Islamabad International Airport at 6:45am on Sunday and arrive at the Beijing Capital International Airport at 2:55pm. This flight will return to Islamabad later in the evening.

The national carrier`s flights on Islamabad-BeijingIslamabad route were being resumed after a gap of over two and a half years.

In 2020, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) stopped all international flights to and from Beijing in wake of Covid-19 pandemic. The PIA operated itslastnighton theroute on Feb10,2020.

As per the sources, the CAAC has accorded approval to the PIA to resume direct flight operation between the two capitals.

Pakistani officials, traders and students have wel-comed the restart of direct PIA passenger flights between the capital cities of Pakistan and China. These flight will also facilitate Chinese personnel working on different projects being completed under the ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor.

A Pakistani passenger leaving for Islamabad from Beijing said the resumption of flights will provide more options to travellers. Earlier this month, the PIA also announced to decrease its fare for Pakistani students and other passengers travellingto China.

Talking to APP, Taskeen Ahmad, a Pakistani student, said the discount would greatly facilitate the students, adding a large number of students could now avail the offer of discounted fare and return to their respective universities in China to resume studies.

Although China remained committed to its stringent zero-Covid policy, it recently cut the quarantine period for overseas travellers to seven days plus three days of medical surveillance, according to South China Morning Post.-APP