Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been given permission to partially resume its flight operations to help repatriate citizens stranded abroad, it emerged on Wednesday.
Initially, only New Islamabad International Airport will be used to operate international flights amid the Coronavirus lockdown.
As per sources, 2 chartered flights carrying 400 passengers including officials of the Canadian High Commission will take off from Islamabad to Toronto after the resumption of flight operations. All passengers will be provided masks and gloves during the flight.
PIA will initially fly stranded passengers from Canada and the UK who were meant to travel to Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, the spokesperson said.
Limited flight operations from Toronto will resume on April 3, while operations from the UK will resume on April 4.
All repatriation flights will initially land at the Islamabad airport, the spokesperson said. Once the flights land, all passengers will be tested in the airport lounges and transferred to a local hotel for six hours.
