PIA takes notice of overcharging of fares for Saudi Arabia flights

KARACHI: The chief executive officer (CEO) of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has taken notice of the public complaints regarding the overcharging of fares on tickets for flights to Saudi Arabia, ARY News reported on Saturday.

The PIA administration received complaints of passengers for being overcharged by some elements on air tickets for Saudi Arabia. The spokesperson confirmed that PIA CEO Arshad Malik took notice of the complaints and ordered the national carrier’s administration to take action.

The spokesperson Abdullah Khan clarified that the fares for flights to Saudi Arabia are Rs84,000 inclusive of all taxes, whereas, $100 will be charged for re-accommodation on old tickets. It added that travels agents were not allowed to charge their commission on PIA tickets above Rs4,000 to Rs5,000.

Read: IATA team completes operational safety audit of PIA, expresses ‘satisfaction’

The spokesperson asked the passengers to immediately report PIA administration for being overcharged by anyone.

He said that the national carrier had sought permission from Saudi Arabia for operation 28 more flights in order to facilitate passengers.

Earlier, the national flag-carrier had cut back on its Pak-Saudi flights with operating just 23 flights to the kingdom in a week because of travel restrictions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

It is noteworthy that Saudi Arabia had decided to lift travel restriction in the kingdom from January 1 2021. The kingdom’s interior ministry announced that airports, ports, and border routes will be made operational from January 01.