"With this kind of connectivity that we now have, British investors will find it so easy, Pakistani diaspora will find it very easy, our own exporters, our own business people will now have a great connectivity of going from here to London," said trade and industry minister Abdul Razaq Dawood.
"From London the whole word is open to us." British High Commissioner Thomas Drew and BA's Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Brem called on Prime Minister Imran Khan, who said the resumption of BA flights to Pakistan will boost tourism in the country and encourage increased trade and investment.
"The links between Britain and Pakistan are already extra-ordinary from commerce, cricket and culture to people, politics and education," Drew added. "This launch is a vote of confidence in the future of those links." BA halted service to Pakistan following the 2008 Marriott Hotel bombing in the capital Islamabad which took place during a period of devastating Islamist militant violence in Pakistan.
At present, only loss-making national carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flies directly from Pakistan to Britain, but its ageing fleet of planes is a frequent source of complaints by passengers. BA's Brem said the airline decided to resume operations due to increasing demand and the improved security situation in Pakistan. "The priority for us is to fly where our passengers want to go and we absolutely had a demand to travel to Islamabad," Brem told a news conference. British Airways landed back in Pakistan Monday, in a major vote of confidence from a Western airline after suspending operations due to security fears over a decade ago.
The British carrier - which halted services in 2008 following the deadly Marriott Hotel bombing in Islamabad - is running three weekly flights from London's Heathrow airport to Pakistan's capital, Islamabad. Britain is home to more than a million people of Pakistani origin, making it the largest Pakistani diaspora community in Europe.
"Britain's flag carrier is back. The two countries, so close in so many ways, take a step closer," British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Thomas Drew, said in a statement. "It is of course tribute to the great improvements in the security situation in Pakistan in recent years." BA had six weekly flights to Islamabad before the Marriott attack, which killed more than 50 people and triggered a major drawdown by embassies and international agencies over safety concerns.
Since the Marriott attack, the country has been largely dependent on Middle Eastern airlines such as Emirates and Etihad, with most international flights routed through the Gulf. "Usually I take the connecting flights so this was a very refreshing experience and looking forward to going back as well," Sana Khan, a doctor based Britain, told AFP after touching down in Islamabad.
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific was one of the last major international carriers to cease operations in Pakistan after dozens were killed during a 2014 siege at Karachi airport by Taliban militants.
Pakistan has battled homegrown militancy for nearly 15 years, with tens of thousands of people killed. But the country has seen a dramatic turnaround recently, with security largely stabilised following several military offensives along the Afghan border and crackdowns on insurgents in urban centres.
British Airways's return also comes as Pakistan continues to restrict large swathes of its eastern airspace following a confrontation with India in February, effectively closing off major international flight routes in and out of Islamabad and Lahore headed east while also disrupting Indian flights. A Pakistani security official said the restrictions would continue until at least June 15.