Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan Friday said that domestic flight operations will resume from Saturday (today) after a nearly two-month-long suspension.
In a video message, the minister said that the decision has been taken during a meeting of the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) keeping the difficulties of the people in mind. However, he said, only Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and Serene Air will be allowed to resume flight operations between five cities – Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and Quetta. “Twenty per cent of pre-coronavirus flights will be allowed to operate and the seat occupancy in planes will be limited to 50 per cent,” he said, adding that proper screening of all passengers will be done at airports and their temperatures will be checked before boarding the flight. A press release issued by the Aviation Division said that every passenger will have to fill a health declaration form before boarding the plane, which will include details about their travel history for the last two weeks, current health status and an undertaking to follow the standard operating procedures.
According to a notification by the Civil Aviation Authority, private aircraft and cargo flights will also be allowed to operate from all airports across the country.
Meanwhile, the suspension of international flights has been extended by 16 days to May 31, according to a CAA notification. The suspension is not applicable to special flights of the national flag carrier announced by the government to repatriate Pakistanis stranded abroad.
Meanwhile, the federal government has decided to partially resume train service before Eid. In the first phase, 24 trains will be operated and the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been finalised in this regard, reports said. It has been learnt that the railway office will remain closed and the tickets will be booked online only. The passengers will have to bring food for them while travelling via trains.
Separately, Punjab government announced further relaxations in lockdown on Friday. Public transport services, shopping malls and automobile production units have been allowed to resume operations in Punjab from May 18.
According to Punjab Industries and Trade Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal, the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for shopping malls and the automobile industry have been finalised. They will be allowed to resume business activity from Monday, he said. The working hours for shopping malls have been fixed, he said, adding that SOPs will strictly be enforced. With regards to the automobile industry, he said production units will be permitted to operate seven days a week, while showrooms will be allowed to open four days a week.
Meanwhile, Sindh Minister for Transportation Awais Shah Friday stated that the provincial government will keep public transportation services suspended due to exponential rise in coronavirus cases in the province. He lamented that the SOPs laid out by the government are not being followed by the people, adding that Prime Minister Imran Khan has also confessed this. He said that the matter of resuming public transportation should have been discussed in the National Coordination Committee (NCC).
