Pakistan expects first North-South Corridor shipments in March 2027, eyes direct Moscow flights

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan expects to launch its first shipment along the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) from Moscow to Islamabad and Faisalabad in March 2027, according to Sputnik, as Islamabad works to expand transport and economic links with Russia

The INSTC is a multimodal route linking India and the Persian Gulf with Russia and Europe via Azerbaijan and Iran. The corridor combines sea, rail and road sections and is designed to reduce the time and cost of cargo delivery.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok, Pakistani Ambassador to Russia Faisal Niaz Tirmizi said Pakistan plans to expand the corridor beyond its initial route, with future connections to Minsk, Gwadar and other regions.

“We're planning our first shipment from Moscow to Islamabad and Faisalabad in March next year. Then we want to expand the route to Minsk, Gwadar, and all regions, as Pakistan is part of the North-South Transport Corridor,” Tirmizi said.

The ambassador said the corridor passes through Iran, where regional conditions are creating challenges for its full operation.

“The unstable situation in the Persian Gulf region is affecting the project's implementation,” Tirmizi added.

Tirmizi also outlined a broader vision for passenger and cargo connectivity between Russia, Belarus and Pakistan.

“I look forward to a time when people from Russia and Belarus will travel to Karachi, Islamabad, Quetta, and Multan. And people from this part of the world will travel to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Omsk, Tomsk, Vladivostok, and Minsk,” he said.

The Russian and Pakistani railway administrations have prepared the groundwork for the trial shipment, with the test run expected to verify the route’s readiness and facilitate cargo transfers between the two countries.

The EEF was held in Vladivostok from Sept 1 to Sept 4 at the Far Eastern Federal University campus.

Air connectivity with Moscow

Alongside efforts to develop the North-South Corridor, Pakistan is working to establish direct air connectivity between Islamabad and Moscow, with private Pakistani airline Fly Jinnah involved in the proposed service.

Speaking to Russia’s state-run news agency TASS on the sidelines of the EEF, Tirmizi said Pakistan was working with other Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries to improve transport links and that officials were working toward the first Fly Jinnah flight from Pakistan to Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport.

“Trade and transport is something that is very close to Pakistan,” the ambassador told TASS.

“We are all working on a transport system between the SCO countries. And we are now working on the first flight of Fly Jinnah from Pakistan to Domodedovo,” he said.

Tirmizi described the issue as fundamental, saying direct air links would help increase business and educational contacts.

“If flights are organized, it will increase business and educational contacts between all countries,” he said.

Fly Jinnah service details

 Pakistan TV Digital separately contacted Fly Jinnah’s call center on Tuesday to verify the status of the proposed service.

A Fly Jinnah call-center agent confirmed that the airline is scheduled to begin flights from Islamabad to Sharjah on Sept. 30, with the service increasing to six flights a week from Oct. 1.

The agent said passengers traveling onward to Moscow would connect through Sharjah, where Air Arabia, Fly Jinnah’s parent airline, would operate the onward flight to Moscow.

The call-center agent also confirmed that the information could be quoted in news reports.

The ambassador’s comments to TASS, meanwhile, referred specifically to work on a first Fly Jinnah flight from Pakistan to Domodedovo.

Discussions on transport links

The latest developments follow earlier discussions between Pakistan and Russia on expanding direct land and air connectivity.

In February, Pakistani and Russian officials discussed launching a direct Moscow-Islamabad flight on the sidelines of an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) ministerial conference in Istanbul.

According to a statement issued by Pakistan’s Press Information Department (PID), Russian State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Transport Dmitry Stanislavovich Zverev met Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan. Iranian Minister for Roads and Infrastructure Farzaneh Sadegh was also present.

The two sides agreed that expanding direct land and air links between Pakistan and Russia would help promote regional trade and economic activity, according to the PID.

“It was emphasized that practical steps, including the launch of direct Moscow–Islamabad flights, should be initiated without delay,” the statement said.

Zverev also invited Abdul Aleem Khan to the International Transport and Logistics Forum in St. Petersburg, held from Apr. 1 to Apr. 3, 2026.

Pakistan-Russia business engagement

The transport initiatives come amid broader efforts to expand commercial ties between Pakistan and Russia, including its Far Eastern regions.

The Pakistan Embassy in Moscow said Monday that Ambassador Tirmizhi met Marina Bogoslovskaya, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Russia’s Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), to discuss prospects for expanding business and trade cooperation.

The embassy said the two sides discussed direct business-to-business engagement, building on an existing memorandum of understanding between the Yakutia Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI).

Tirmizi invited representatives of Yakutia’s business community to participate in business meetings on the sidelines of the Pakistani prime minister’s upcoming visit to Russia.

The Yakutia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in turn, invited the ambassador to speak at the Far Eastern Logistics Forum in October 2026, the embassy said.

Both sides reaffirmed their readiness to strengthen business contacts and explore opportunities for trade and investment.

SCO connectivity

The proposed transport initiatives also come as Pakistan begins its 2026–27 chairmanship of the SCO, with connectivity forming part of the chairmanship’s central theme, “Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity.”

Pakistan assumed the rotating SCO chairmanship at the organization’s summit in Bishkek on Sept 1.

Tirmizi specifically linked transport cooperation to efforts among SCO countries, while highlighting the potential benefits of improved air connectivity for business and education.