37 Toronto-bound passengers offloaded from PIA flight
March 19, 2020
PIA plans to send special flights to UAE to bring back Pakistanis
March 20, 2020
The Pakistan International Airlines has decided to halt booking for UAE as the Emirate country banned international flights and entry of foreigners.
The PIA also decided to operate eight special flights to bring back the resident visa holders and Pakistani visitors from United Arab Emirates.
On Thursday, three PIA flights were not allowed Thursday morning to land at Dubai International Airport and they kept hovering over the airport for some time. However, after the intervention of the PIA station manager, the UAE authorities allowed the PIA planes to land at the airport.
The UAE airport administration has now asked PIA to send empty planes and take back the Pakistani passengers stranded in the country. PIA vowed to bring back the valid job holders and Pakistani visitors from Dubai to Pakistan by eight ferry flights.
According to 24NewsHD TV channel, two PIA flights from Islamabad and Peshawar have now been allowed to land at the Dubai Airport.
“We are operating eight special ferry flights from Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad to bring back the Pakistanis from Dubai,” the PIA spokesperson said.
UAE is also suspending all work visa issuance and visas-on-arrival beginning Thursday and imposing a mandatory 14-day quarantine on anyone entering the country, any violations of which will be prosecuted. The only exemptions to the work visa suspension apply to Expo 2020 permit holders and intra-corporate transfer.
