New flights to Islamabad from Leeds-Bradford Airport are set to be launched next month.

Pakistani airline Shaheen Air International said it will launch the twice-weekly non-stop service on February 7th, allowing passengers to fly direct from Yorkshire to Pakistan for the first time.

Flyers will be able to sit in economy or business class. Leeds-Bradford said that advance bookings, which began in December, have proven the route to be particularly popular with Yorkshire travellers, despite unrest in Pakistan.

"I am sure that Pakistanis living in and around Yorkshire will strongly support the new service and thus encourage us to add more frequencies from Leeds-Bradford," commented Kahlid Sehbai, chairman of Shaheen Air International.

Leeds-Bradford offers a host of flights to destinations throughout the UK and Europe, including Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Brussels.

Last month, bmi marked the 27th anniversary of its first flight to London from Leeds-Bradford.

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