LONDON: British Airways’ first flight touched down at Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore early this morning.
Lahore, the city of gardens, is the second city in Pakistan to be connected to London Heathrow as the airline already flies daily from Islamabad. The airline’s new service from Lahore will offer seamless transfer options from London Heathrow to Manchester, the United States and Canada.
Flights will run four times per week on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, operated using a three-class Boeing 787 Dreamliner with World Traveller (long-haul economy), World Traveller Plus (long-haul premium economy) and Club World (long-haul business class) departing from Heathrow Terminal 5, landing into Lahore’s International Airport.
Sohail Ali, Senior Vice President, Middle East and Africa, said: “It gives me great pleasure to welcome our first flight to Lahore today. We are delighted to start direct flights four times a week offering seamless travel options from Lahore to London, Manchester and the US.
“Following the relaunch of services from Islamabad to Heathrow earlier this year, this new flight from Lahore reinforces our commitment to Pakistan and will help boost travel, tourism and trade between the two countries.”
The British Deputy High Commissioner to Pakistan, Alison Blackburne said; “I’m delighted to welcome the first ever British Airways flight to Lahore. The first of many, this new direct flight will allow thousands of people who travel between our two great nations to visit friends and family, and support increased trade links. Indeed, this is a sign of confidence in Pakistan and the best of UK Pak Dosti.”
In response to Covid-19, British Airways has introduced a range of measures to keep its customers safe. Prior to travel, they will receive information on changes at their airport and onboard experience and tips on how to prepare for their journey. Customers will also be asked to help manage the wellness of everyone travelling by:
- Checking-in online, downloading their boarding pass and where possible self-scanning their boarding passes at the departure gate.
- Observing social distancing and using hand sanitisers that are placed throughout airports.
- Using new contactless, automated features at our lounges, including a new online food and drink service.
- Wearing a facemask at all times and bringing enough to replace them every four hours for longer flights.
- Ensuring they have everything they need from their hand luggage before departure, and where possible, storing their carry-on bag under the seat in front of them.
- Not travelling if they think they have any symptoms of Covid-19.
On board, all cabin crew will wear PPE and a new food service has been introduced which reduces the number of interactions required with customers. Surfaces including seats, screens, seat buckles and tray tables will be cleaned after every flight and each aircraft is completely cleaned from nose to tail every day.
The air on all British Airways flights is fully recycled once every two to three minutes through HEPA filters, which remove microscopic bacteria and virus clusters with over 99.9% efficiency, equivalent to hospital operating theatre standards.