‘From terrorism to tourism’: Kundi presents vision for KP as South Air launches Peshawar-Lahore flight

Governor Faisal Karim Kundi pledged on Monday to transform Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from a region plagued by terrorism to a hub of tourism, as South Air inaugurated a new flight route between Peshawar and Lahore. Speaking at the ceremony held at Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar, Kundi boarded the inaugural flight, which departed at 1:56pm.

The governor expressed his commitment to eliminate terrorism and promote tourism, emphasizing that the additional flight option would reduce the 10-hour road trip to a mere one-hour journey, thereby boosting both trade and tourism. Kundi highlighted that the new service would connect Peshawar with Lahore, and that future connectivity plans include cities like Quetta and Chitral.

The event was attended by South Air's CEO, the joint secretary from the Ministry of Defence, KP MPA representatives, senior government and airport officials, and business community leaders. Following the flight's landing in Lahore, Kundi was greeted by Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Specialized Healthcare Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique, and MPA Ramesh Kumar.

In a previous meeting, Kundi and Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Amjad Hussain agreed to negotiate boundary disputes and improve air connectivity between the two regions, particularly focusing on air links between Gilgit and Islamabad. South Air previously launched services from Karachi to Quetta and Islamabad, further expanding its network in the region.