KARACHI: Etihad Airways resumed flights to Peshawar in northwestern Pakistan on Monday after an 11-year suspension, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said, marking a significant expansion of the United Arab Emirates carrier’s network in South Asia.
The Abu Dhabi–Peshawar route was halted in 2014 after a Pakistan International Airlines flight arriving from Saudi Arabia was fired upon while landing at Bacha Khan International Airport, killing a passenger.
Etihad and Emirates both suspended operations in the wake of the incident at a time of heightened militant violence in the region. Etihad had previously paused services in 2012 after an attack on the airport.
Flight EY276 landed in Peshawar on Monday morning for the first time since the suspension and was welcomed with a traditional water salute by airport authorities.
“Etihad Airways will now operate five weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and Peshawar on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday,” the PAA said in a statement.
The resumption makes Etihad the third international airline to launch services from Bacha Khan International Airport this year, following Fly Dubai and Saudi carrier Flyadeal.
Officials said the new flights would offer passengers greater choice and improve regional connectivity.
The move comes as Etihad, owned by Abu Dhabi’s $225 billion sovereign wealth fund ADQ, emerges from a multi-year restructuring and management overhaul aimed at streamlining operations and expanding routes.
The airline is seeking to capture growing demand for travel between the Gulf and Pakistan, home to one of the world’s largest overseas Pakistani communities.
