Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has announced the launch of a new weekly flight service connecting Karachi and Riyadh, marking a significant expansion of its Saudi Arabian network operations. The inaugural flight is scheduled for January 2, 2026, utilizing Airbus A320 aircraft for the route.
The newly established service will operate according to the following schedule: Flight PK729 will depart Karachi every Friday at 8:45 PM, arriving in Riyadh at 10:45 PM after a four-hour journey. The return flight, PK730, will depart Riyadh on Saturdays at 12:05 AM and arrive in Karachi at 5:10 AM, with a flight duration of approximately three hours and five minutes.
This expansion builds upon PIA’s existing connections to Riyadh from Islamabad and Lahore, strengthening aviation ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The route development comes alongside PIA’s recent reinstatement of direct flights to Britain following the lifting of a five-year suspension imposed by UK authorities over aviation safety concerns.
The airline, which has faced substantial operational challenges including significant debt accumulation and management issues, continues to navigate a complex recovery path. The European Union, United States, and Britain had imposed flight bans on PIA in June 2020 following a tragic aviation incident that claimed nearly 100 lives when an Airbus A320 crashed in a Karachi neighborhood.
Established in 1955 as a symbol of national pride and development, PIA has experienced considerable reputational challenges in recent decades due to financial difficulties and safety concerns. The Pakistani government has committed to privatizing the carrier, though previous attempts have stalled due to valuation discrepancies between potential buyers and government expectations.