Special plane carrying US citizens departs from Karachi airport

KARACHI: A special plane carrying United States (US) citizens including diplomats has departed from Jinnah International Airport Karachi amid coronavirus pandemic on Thursday night, ARY NEWS reported.

The plane arrived from Cairo at the Karachi airport to airlift the US citizens including members of the US embassy in Pakistan.

The flight MSR-3200 was allowed to land at the airport on a special permission from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

It carried 135 passengers including 16 members of the embassy team.

After landing at Karachi airport, the plane departed for Islamabad from where members of the embassy boarded the flight.

According to airport manager, the US citizens underwent coronavirus screening process at the airport while their baggage was also sanitized to ensure that they do not carry any virus particles along with them.

Yesterday, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has released an advisory for the special plane of US Embassy which will land in Karachi and Islamabad to transport 135 persons including US and British diplomats.

Three British diplomats will also depart from Pakistan through the chartered flight.

According to the advisory, no one will be allowed to enter the terminal’s buildings of the airports in Karachi and Islamabad to see off the passengers except diplomatic staff members.

The aviation authority also permitted the diplomatic staff to establish a separate counter to assist the departing passengers. Upon arrival of the special plane, no one including crew members will not be allowed to come out of the chartered flight.