Operation to bring back stranded Pakistani passengers to begin tomorrow: Ghulam Sarwar

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar on Sunday said that flight operation to bring back Pakistanis who were forced to suffer after foreign airlines cancelled their tickets bookings will begin from Monday (tomorrow), ARY NEWS reported.

Speaking during a press conference, Ghulam Sarwar said that 18 flights will be operated to bring back stranded Pakistanis on the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

“We are also taking action against airlines involved in overbooking,” he said adding that they have been issued show-cause notices.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has issued notices to five foreign airlines for causing inconvenience to the passengers by the cancellation of flights to Pakistan on July 02.

The foreign airlines include Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways and flydubai. The foreign air carriers operating in Pakistan have been given a deadline to resolve the issues of the passengers by July 8.

The CAA spokesperson said that the aviation authority reserved the right to take action against the airlines for causing inconvenience and financial losses to the passengers by flights’ cancellations.

Prior to the issuance of notices, the aviation authority took notice of the cancellation of flights by the foreign airlines after ARY News reported the troubles of the passengers who are willing to travel to Pakistan.

In the notice, CAA directed the concerned authorities to accommodate the affected passengers on the earliest possible flights of the same airlines or other airlines for travel to Pakistan besides providing hotel accommodation.