PIA issues schedule for evacuation flights

KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Wednesday issued a schedule for special international flights to repatriate thousands of Pakistanis stranded in different countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ARY News reported.

According to the PIA spokesperson, the national carrier will continue its flight operation from April 15 (today) to April 19. The PIA will operate nine special flights between the period.

Sharing details of the next phase of the relief operation, he said a flight from Islamabad to Toronto is planned for Wednesday followed by two more from Islamabad to Manchester on April 17 and 18 consecutively.

The PIA will operate two special flights, PK-8894 and PK-8852, from Islamabad to Seoul on April 17.

Two more flights from Karachi to Jakarta (Indonesia) on April 18 and Karachi to Toronto (Canada) April 19 will be operated to repatriate stranded Pakistanis, he added.

Meanwhile, Special Assistant on Overseas Pakistanis Sayed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari said a special flight will operate on April 18 to bring back the stranded Pakistanis from United Arab Emirates.

Pakistanis currently stuck abroad can approach Pakistan embassies in the countries they are stranded and can also contact PIA call centre, PIA booking office or its website to purchase tickets.

Iy may be noted that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has brought back 1,800 stranded Pakistan across the globe in 21 flights, thus so far.

The coronavirus relief flight operations of the PIA is going on in line with the NCOC’s decisions.

According to the breakup report of the lifted passengers issued by the PIA spokesperson, 377 Pakistanis were lifted from Canada, 140 from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. and 136 countrymen stranded in Iraq were lifted.

200 Pakistanis were rescued from Istanbul and people were also lifted from Thailand and Malaysia.