Serene Air at the Beijing Daxing International Airport on November 19, 2023 Photo: Courtesy of Serene Air

Serene Air, a private carrier from Pakistan,  launched a route from Karachi to Beijing Daxing International Airport on Sunday, a further move to increase personnel exchanges between China and Pakistan. 

With a stop at Islamabad, the service will be offered with an A330 on Wednesdays and Sundays. 

"The opening of the new route shows our determination to continuously expand our international route network, and it is also a symbol of the friendship between China and Pakistan," according to Yang Yunchun, chairman of the carrier. 

In the past, trips to Pakistan meant flying from Beijing Capital International Airport with Air China, so the opening of this route provides us with another choice, said a passenger surnamed Liu, who took the maiden flight. 

The flights between China and Pakistan are on a fast recovery track. In June, China Southern Airlines resumed its route from Urumqi, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to Lahore, Pakistan's second-largest city.

China and Pakistan just celebrated the 10th anniversary of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and also the 10th anniversary of the launch of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a BRI flagship project.

Analysts said that the CPEC, which has helped Pakistan's economic and social development, will bring more benefits to local people as the two countries further deepen their cooperation.  

Data from the Ministry of Commerce showed that trade between China and Pakistan reached $27.82 billion in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 59.1 percent. Chinese exports to Pakistan totaled $24.23 billion, up 57.8 percent, while imports from Pakistan stood at $3.59 billion, up 68.9 percent.

Global Times