COVID-19: Pakistan extends suspension of flight operation until April 30
Civil Aviation Authority says only cargo, relief and special flights will be allowed
Dubai: Pakistan has extended suspension of flight operation until April 30 as part of precautionary measures to combat coronavirus.
Only cargo, relief and special flights with prior permission will be allowed at airports in Pakistan. All other domestic and international flights will remain suspended until April 30, says a notice issued by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority. Regular flight operations were earlier scheduled to start on April 21. “As per the decision of the Government of Pakistan, the suspension of international and domestic flight operations as effected earlier has been extended up to Thursday, April 30, 2020 at 2359 hours PST,” CAA said on its twitter account.
In an earlier notification, the CAA had said that diplomatic, special/cargo flights and flights of the national carrier PIA to/from Pakistan holding special approval from the competent authority for transporting stranded passengers would be exceptions to the ban.
The new directive came as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country rose to more than 7, 400 with 143 deaths as of April 18.
Regular flight operation in Pakistan was suspended on March 21 leaving thousands of Pakistanis stranded around the world.