Special PIA flight brings them to Islamabad from Istanbul. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
194 Pakistanis stuck in Turkey return home
Special PIA flight brings them to Islamabad from Istanbul
ISLAMABAD: A total of 194 Pakistanis stranded in Turkey because of the coronavirus lockdown and suspension of airlines operations returned to the country on Friday on a special flight of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
This special flight, PK-782, brought them from Istanbul to Islamabad. According to the spokesperson for the national flag carrier, the passengers have been shifted to a quarantine centre set up at a hotel after screening and testing them for the virus. They will stay there for 24 hours and be allowed to leave after their tests return negative.
Separately, a charter plane left for the US from Islamabad with over 300 American citizens including 17 diplomats on board. The passengers also included three Canadian citizens. The special US flight, MS-3201, first landed in Karachi from where 119 passengers boarded the plane. It then flew to Islamabad to pick up 188 more passengers.
The government had given permission to the US embassy to fly American citizens out of the country.
A day earlier, two special flights of the PIA from Lahore and Karachi airports left for Toronto carrying over 600 Canadian nationals.
The authorities had allowed the PIA to operate the two flights on the request of the Canadian government.
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The Canadian High Commission provided a list of passengers after which the PIA issued tickets to them.
Flight PK-789 left from Lahore carrying 300 passengers. Similarly, flight PK-781 left from Karachi with 310 Canadian nationals on board.
The government has decided to partially restore international flights after grounding them on March 21 to stem the spread of the rapidly spreading coronavirus infections.
The decision to suspend international flight operations was taken during a meeting of the NSC.
Foreign airlines operate as many as 980 flights a week to and from Pakistan.
The PIA operates another 396 international flights to 15 countries on a regular schedule.
As for domestic flights, the government has decided to keep them suspended till April 11.
The government had suspended domestic flights on March 26. However, flights between the Islamabad airport and Gilgit and Skardu are exempted from the suspension.
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On Wednesday, Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar told reporters that the National Coordination Committee on Covid-19 had decided that stranded overseas Pakistanis would be brought back to Islamabad in a controlled manner through a special PIA flight on April 4.
“The passengers will be tested and kept in quarantine at the airport until their reports are received,” he said. “If they test negative, they will be asked to self-isolate themselves and take necessary precautionary measures. Those who test positive for the disease will be sent to hospitals.”
On April 5, the committee concerned will review measures for bringing back Pakistanis stuck abroad and if the experiment is successful, flights will resume at different airports of the country.
“As public transport is not available these days, special arrangements will be made to drop passengers at their destinations,” the minister said. “Domestic flights will remain suspended until further notice.”
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