Dubai-based low-cost airline Fly Dubai has started flights to Islamabad and Lahore, with the inaugural flights receiving water cannon salutes upon arrival at the airports in both cities on Monday.

Fire tenders from the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) Rescue and Fire Fighting Service honored the inaugural flights with water cannon salutes, a traditional aviation gesture, at Islamabad International Airport and Allama Iqbal International Airport.

A CAA spokesman reported that the inaugural flight from Dubai to Lahore, FZ 359, landed at 4:29am.

CAA representatives and other officials greeted the passengers, and the event was marked with a cake-cutting ceremony and gift presentations.

The inaugural flight to Islamabad, FZ 353, arrived at 1:13pm. A return flight departed for Dubai at 2:20pm with 162 passengers on board.

Fly Dubai will operate daily flights to Islamabad.

Earlier on Wednesday, the first flight of Somon Air, the national airline of Tajikistan, also received a water cannon salute as it landed in Islamabad from Dushanbe.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and the Ambassador of Tajikistan to Pakistan, Yusuf Sharifzoda, welcomed the passengers.

Flight SMR 129 arrived at 11:45am, carrying 14 passengers.

Later that day, it departed from Islamabad with 52 passengers on board.