KARACHI: The first Emirates flight took off on 25 October 1985 from Dubai to Karachi, marking the birth of a global airline and the establishment of an air transport link between the UAE and Pakistan that has grown from strength to strength, contributing to tourism and trade flows between both countries.

Today, Emirates currently serves customers in Pakistan with 53 weekly flights. Since its launch, Emirates has operated more than 116,500 roundtrip flights between Pakistan and Dubai, carrying more than 28 million passengers to Pakistan, from Pakistan to Dubai and destinations beyond.

Following its Karachi operations, Emirates launched flights to Peshawar in 1998; Islamabad and Lahore in 1999; and Sialkot in 2013, progressively growing its presence in Pakistan in line with customer demand for high quality air services both inbound and outbound.

The airline continues to play a vital role in serving communities across Pakistan, providing global connectivity for business and leisure travellers alike. Emirates currently operates flights to Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and Sialkot – utilising its wide-body Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, and connecting customers to Dubai, and to more than 95 destinations worldwide, via Dubai.

Emirates SkyCargo, the airline’s freight division, also plays an instrumental role in driving economic activity and helping support the country’s local exporters and businesses to connect to more than 120 cargo destinations.

Over the past 10 years, Emirates SkyCargo has helped transport over 750,000 tonnes of cargo into and out of Pakistan – including main exports of fish, meat and vegetables and main imports of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment.

Today, more than 555,000 Pakistani nationals and residents are enrolled in Emirates Skywards, the award-winning loyalty programme of Emirates and flydubai – allowing members to redeem fantastic benefits and rewards on flights, hotel stays as well as retail and lifestyle experiences supported by the airline.

Emirates is one of the world’s largest international airlines with a global footprint across six continents. Pakistani customers can fly safer and better on Emirates as the airline has implemented a comprehensive set of measures at every step of the customer journey to ensure the safety of its customers and employees on the ground and in the air.

Since its inception, the airline has been recognised by more than 500 international awards for operational excellence, innovative services and industry leading products – making Emirates one of the world’s most recognized airline brands.