After a hiatus of 17 years, first PIA flight lands at Swat's Saidu Sharif Airport

• KP CM Mahmood Khan, federal ministers Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Murad Saeed land in Swat on inaugural flight.
• PTI says in next phase, international flights will be allowed to land at the airport.
• Operations at Saidu Sharif Airport had been suspended due to terrorism in the region.

SWAT: After a gap of 17 years, a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight touched down at the Saidu Sharif Airport in Swat on Friday.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, federal ministers Ghulam Sarwar Khan and Murad Saeed were onboard when the inaugural flight touched down in the scenic valley.

As per the PIA, the national carrier will send two flights to the airport every week from Islamabad. It added that passengers wanting to travel from Karachi and Lahore will be connected with flights from Islamabad.

Separately, the PTI Twitter account said that in the next phase, international flights will also be allowed to land at the airport. 

Radio Pakistan reported that the flight operation has been resumed due to the personal efforts of KP CM Mahmood Khan and federal minister Murad Saeed. 

The step has been taken to further promote the tourism industry in the province, which had been battered by terrorism.