LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has approved the launch of Pakistan’s first provincial airline, Air Punjab, and gave the go-ahead for the Lahore-Rawalpindi bullet train project.
Chairing a meeting, she directed authorities to immediately lease four Airbus planes to initiate domestic flights, with plans to expand to international routes after a year. She also instructed that latest aircraft be leased to make Air Punjab the country’s leading airline.
Maryam Nawaz also reviewed proposals for the bullet train, which would reduce travel time between Lahore and Rawalpindi to two and a half hours, and assigned Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb to oversee coordination with Pakistan Railways. The option of launching the project under a public-private partnership is also being considered.
She further sought feasibility plans for high-speed trains on six additional routes across Punjab and set deadlines for studies related to the Lahore Yellow Line and Gujranwala Mass Transit Line. Meanwhile, she announced Lahore’s designation as the “ECO Tourism Capital 2027,” vowing to promote the city’s cultural heritage globally.
