After CAA's go-ahead, PIA increases flights to repatriate stranded Pakistanis

ISLAMABAD: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has granted permission to the national airline to operate relief flights for bringing back the stranded Pakistanis in foreign countries, ARY News reported on Friday.

The aviation authority has released a NOTAM for permission to operate special flights by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to facilitate nationals trapped in foreign countries due to the suspension of flight operations amid coronavirus crisis.

After getting the permission, the national flag-carrier will operate a special flight on Saturday to Azerbaijan’s city Baku to bring back 125 Pakistanis.

Read: CAA suffers loss of Rs3.6 billion amid coronavirus pandemic

Another PIA plane will take flight on Saturday for repatriating 175 Pakistanis from Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur. The same flight will also carry diplomatic staff and citizens of Malaysia and Singapore from Islamabad.

Moreover, a special plane will be departed to Paris on April 11 (Saturday) to transport French citizens.

On April 12, another relief flight will be operated between Islamabad to Japan’s capital Tokyo to transport Japanese citizens.

Read: CAA issues new travel advisory for airlines amid coronavirus pandemic 

It is pertinent to mention here that Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had extended its ban on all flight operations besides barring chartered and private planes due to coronavirus pandemic.

CAA notified on Thursday regarding the extension for the closure of all kind of flight operations including domestic and international following the orders of the federal government.

In another notification, CAA announced that chartered and private flights will also remain shut from April 10 to April 21.