PIA asked to lower fares for Gilgit-Baltistan to promote tourism

ISLAMABAD: As Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) recently announced a 30pc cut in domestic fares, it excluded Gilgit and Skardu routes from the facility for unknown reasons.

Although the distance from Islamabad to these two destinations was shorter compared to other domestic routes of PIA, the fare for this region remains comparatively higher.

Sources said PIA’s “discriminatory” decision has surprised the passengers of these routes, who were being forced to pay more fare for 35-minute travel as compared to the fares being paid by passengers on much longer domestic routes.

As per the PIA’s recent decision, “Passengers will be able to enjoy discounted fares between Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Quetta, Faisalabad, Sialkot and Peshawar from December 3. People can travel between these cities on a one-way minimum fare of Rs8,500 and a round-trip minimum fare of Rs17,000, as against Rs12,275 and Rs24,600 charged previously for the same.”

But the people from GB were being made to pay fares ranging from Rs10,000 to Rs17,000 on shorter routes.

“Since Gilgit and Skardu routes are already subsidized, the recent cut in fares was not applicable on these routes,” said PIA spokesperson Abdullah Khan while talking to this scribe.

He claimed that the airline had considered various factors while calculating the cost of travel to these routes, including fewer passengers and uncertain weather conditions [resulting in cancellation of flights].

Khan, however, admitted that the fare for Skardu and Gilgit two destinations was currently higher than other domestic routes of the airline.

Meanwhile, GB Governor Jalal Hussain Maqpoon has written a letter to PIA Chief Executive Officer Air Marshal Arshad Malik, demanding a reduction in fares in order to promote tourism in the area.

“Gilgit Baltistan is a prominent place for tourism, as it is home to the second tallest mountain, K-2, and highest altitude plain [plateau], Deosai,” Jalal Hussain Maqpoon said, adding that the number of tourists visiting the region could increase manifold if fares were brought down.

The governor noted that PIA was currently charging Rs16,000 for a flight from Islamabad to Gilgit and Skardu. “The national flag carrier recently lowered its fares by 30pc nationwide, however, no relief was announced for Gilgit and Skardu flights,” he lamented.

Jalal Hussain said that the two roads leading to Gilgit and Skardu were currently under construction and dangerous to travel. He asked the PIA CEO to lower the fares in order to ensure easy access to GB’s mountainous areas.