RAK Airways officially opened the Islamabad route Sunday (Aug. 4) from Ras Al Khaimah with its first flight RT 567 taking off at 2030 hours (UAE local time) for Islamabad from Ras Al Khaimah International Airport on A320 aircraft with 150 passengers. Islamabad is RAK Airways' third entry point into Pakistan. In 2011, the airline made its first entry into the country with two-weekly flights to Lahore and Peshawar. In the first half of 2013, the airline increased its frequency to Lahore and Peshawar from two to three flights a week to meet passenger demand. Speaking to Saudi Gazette a day before the launch, Murabit Al Sawaf, President and CEO of RAK Airways, said “this is our first entry into the capital of Pakistan and we are proud to say that our bookings on our weekly two flights look very encouraging. We are aspiring to see a significant rising curve of our passenger numbers with the introduction of Islamabad.” On July 2, Al Sawaf said at a press briefing at Hilton Resort and Spa in Ras Al Khaimah that RAK Airways ambitious growth plan underlines 40 destinations by 2015. Four weeks later the airline announced its launch into two capitals – Islamabad and Amman in August 2013 and the expansion of its current fleet. With the introduction of Islamabad, RAK Airways, the full service carrier flying out of Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE has spread its route map to 10 destinations – Jeddah, Doha, Chittagong, Dhakka, Peshawar, Lahore, Kathmandu, Cairo, Calicut and Islamabad. — SG
