Skardu, Gilgit Baltistan: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has announced new international and domestic flight services, including routes connecting Skardu a city in the Pakistan’s administered Kashmir’s Gilgit-Baltistan region with Dubai, Lahore, and Karachi.
The move is framed as part of efforts to boost tourism infrastructure in the mountainous area, which is administered by Pakistan but claimed by J&K as part of the broader Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
According to the schedule, direct flights between Skardu and Dubai will commence on 31 March 2025, operating weekly on Mondays and Fridays. Domestic connections include Skardu-Lahore flights on Mondays and Wednesdays and Skardu-Karachi services starting 2 April 2025, running on Mondays and Saturdays.
The initiative aims to promote tourism in Gilgit-Baltistan, a region known for its dramatic landscapes, including access to K2 and winter destinations. Pakistani authorities stated the flights align with plans to develop tourism on “modern lines,” though the region’s political status remains internationally contested.
Tourism stakeholders welcomed the connectivity but urged PIA to expand operations into winter. A local industry representative said, “Baltistan has untapped potential for winter tourism, but flights are currently limited to summer. Year-round schedules could boost cold-weather travel.”
The flights are expected to ease travel for tourists and strengthen links between cities administered by Pakistan and global hubs like Dubai. Gilgit-Baltistan’s status remains unresolved under international law, with India and Pakistan both asserting claims over the territory as part of the larger Kashmir conflict.
PIA has not commented on expanding winter services or the geopolitical implications of operating flights in the disputed region.