Shaheen Air International, a private airline company, has started first direct flight service between Peshawar and Masqat, facilitating around 100,000 skill labourers from NWFP and Fata working in Oman. "The decision is taken while keeping in view long lasting demand of travellers who are mostly working class and were facing great difficulty in travelling to Oman," informed Mohammad Rafi, Regional Director Shaheen Air International.
Talking to journalists, Rafi said earlier people from NWFP and Fata had to travel to Masqat via Karachi which caused them much botheration and now the Shaheen Airline has started direct service for there convenience. The Airline, he added, has decided to start two flights on weekly basis from Peshawar to Masqat and Peshawar to Kuwait.
The first flight for Masqat from Peshawar airport has departed on May 17 (Sunday) with 91 passengers onboard out of the capacity of 110, which is very encouraging response, Rafi apprised. While the flight for Kuwait is scheduled to depart from Peshawar on May 21, next, he added. Presently, he said, travellers to Kuwait from NWFP had the facility of single flight of PIA on weekly basis from Peshawar. Now, they can avail the facility of two more flights to Kuwait on weekly basis.
Director Shaheen Airline said the company is already providing travelling facility to travellers on economical rates to Dubai and Abu Dhabi from Peshawar from other cities of the country including Karachi.
From Peshawar, he continued, the airline is operating four flights on weekly basis to Dubai and the same to Abu Dhabi. The company is also chalking out plan to start international flights to some other routes and in this connection focus is being given on European countries. He said the flight operation between Peshawar and Oman will not only provide travelling facility to passengers, but also generate handsome earning for government in shape of taxes.
The company, he added, is paying around Rs 3000 to 4000 to government as tax per passenger to UAE. Apart from international flights, Shaheen Airline is also concentrating on providing maximum facility to travellers on domestic flights. The company, he added, is proud of providing economical, reasonable and comfortable service to air travellers. The punctually of Shaheen flights in arrival and departure is 99 percent accurate, he claimed.