Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Sunday resumed direct flights between Islamabad and Beijing.

The first flight, PK-854, departed from Islamabad airport at 6:45 am and would arrive at the Beijing Capital International Airport at 2:55 pm. This plane will return to Islamabad later in the evening.

The operations between the two capitals resumed after a gap of over two and a half years. The last PIA flight flew on this route in February 2020.

In March 2020, China, worried that international travelers might trigger a wave of coronavirus infections, suspended almost all inbound international flights.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has accorded approval to PIA to restart operations considering Pakistan as Beijing’s only all-weather strategic partner of China and shared interest and cooperation in various areas between the two countries.

The flight will also facilitate Chinese personnel working on various projects under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistan.