The maiden flight of Azerbaijan Airlines from Baku touched the ground at Jinnah International Airport late Thursday night making the metropolis the third Pakistani city having direct air connectivity with the Central Asian State. Governor Sindh Kamran Khan Tessori, Sindh Minister for Industries and Commerce Jam SaifullahDharejo, CEO Trade Development Authority of Pakistan ZubairMotiwala, President Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry Iftkhar Ahmed and other representatives of business and trade community welcomed the crew and passengers of the inaugural flight.
Ambassador of Azerbaijan in Pakistan KhazarFarhadov was also present at the occasion. Azerbaijan Airlines first flight to JIAP Karachi that carried over 90 passengers was welcomed with water canon salute on the runway. The airline was already operating directs flights to Islamabad and Lahore and it expanded its direct flight operation to Pakistan by starting two weekly flights to Karachi. Governor Sindh Kamran Tessori speaking at the occasion termed expansion of air operations as a welcome sign for mutual relations of Pakistan and Azerbaijan and felicitated Azerbaijan Envoy, Pakistani officials and business and industrial communities of both the countries. He said that Pakistan-Azerbaijan bilateral trade volume was $ 10 million that has witnessed a three time growth after start of direct flight operation.
He hoped that air connectivity with the biggest city of the country will help bolstering the trade relation between the brotherly countries. Karachi is not only economic and financial hub of Pakistan but it is gateway to a number of tourist places, he said and hoped that it would help strengthening people to people contacts as well as tourism in both the country. Ambassador of Azerbaijan KhazarFarhadov, while talking to APP o the occasion, said that direct flights will open new avenues for bringing people of both the brotherly countries more closer who were tied in bonds of brotherhood from centuries. We are historically very close and leadership of both the countries had taken significant steps to develop a mechanism for bringing people of both the countries closer, he said adding that it would contribute to strengthen bilateral relations of Azerbaijan and Pakistan. On a question he said two drafts of preferential trade agreement and transit trade agreement were under constitution between both the countries and our trade will increase more and more.
Governor Sindh Kamran Khan Tessori, Azerbaijan ambassador KhazarFarhadov, Sindh Minister Jam SaifullahDharejo and others also cut a cake to mark the occasion. The governor also presented traditional gifts of Ajrak to Azerbaijan envoy and captain and crew members of the flight.
