After 10 years of interruption, British Airways resumes flights to Pakistan



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British airlines had announced that they would restart their flights to Islamabad.

London:

British Airways (BA) resumed flights to Pakistan on Sunday, more than 10 years after service was cut off in the country following a bomb blast.

The British airline stopped serving Pakistan after the bombing of the Marriott hotel in the capital, Islamabad, in 2008, killing more than 50 people.

But the airline now has to fly three times a week with Boeing 787 Dreamliners in the Pakistani capital from London Heathrow.

It is the only Western airline to resume links with Islamabad. Pakistan's Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was the only airline to fly direct between Islamabad and London.

"We will operate this connection with our newest long-haul aircraft, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner," said a spokeswoman for BA.

In September 2008, a bomb exploded in a dump truck in front of the Marriott hotel in Islamabad. In total, 54 people were killed and more than 250 others injured in the blast.

Shortly after the blast, the BA suspended all its flights bound for Islamabad, stating: "We will not compromise on the safety of our customers, our staff or our planes."

Last December, the airline announced its intention to resume flights to Islamabad, saying the new airport opened in the Pakistani capital would have eased concerns about security and congestion.

British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Thomas Drew, said BA was joining "a growing number of British companies operating in Pakistan."

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