Pakistan allows WHO to use Islamabad airport for Afghanistan aid

ISLAMABAD: In a bid to facilitate the provision of aid to Afghanistan, Pakistan has allowed World Health Organization (WHO) to use Islamabad airport for relief activities, ARY NEWS reported on Tuesday.

According to details, the foreign ministry has conveyed a request from the World Health Organization (WHO) to provide space for operating its helicopter flight from the Islamabad airport for the delivery of relief goods to Afghanistan.

According to the CAA, the authority permitted the use of the airport, and the WHO helicopter onboard an eight-member delegation of the World Food Programme (WFP) will reach Islamabad today.

The CAA said that members of the WFP would have to completely follow the COVID SOPs enforced in the country for travelers.

On August 29, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) allowed a United Nations (UN) delegation from Bangkok to land at Islamabad airport, easing travel restrictions on inbound passengers from countries in the third (C) category.

The notification in this regard was issued by the deputy director of air transport of the CAA.

Read More: ISLAMABAD AIRPORT WITNESSES MORE THAN 20,000 AFGHANISTAN EVACUATIONS

After the ease in travel restriction, a five-member UN delegation reached Islamabad from Bangkok. “They will undergo a mandatory PCR test on their arrival, besides also being quarantined for seven to 10 days,” the CAA said while emphasizing that the delegation would fulfill the mandatory COVID protocols.

It further said that the delegation comprising of citizens from the United States, Britain, Germany, Sweden and Thailand would also undergo a rapid antigen COVID test at the airport.