Dubai: Good news for stranded Pakistanis as more special flights have been announced to repatriate more than 3000 passengers from UAE to Pakistan this week.
At least four flights will be operated by the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Monday April 20 from Dubai. Two flights are scheduled to take off from Dubai to Lahore and two more from Dubai to Karachi. “At least 1000 stranded passengers will be flown home on these four flights on Monday,” a top diplomat told Gulf News.
Repatriation of stranded Pakistanis started on April 18 with the PIA flight carrying the first batch of 227 passengers from Dubai to Islamabad.
Two flights from Abu Dhabi
Two more flights will be operated from Abu Dhabi on April 24. Destination will be announced later.
Also, two special flights are expected to fly from Dubai to Faisalabad later this week — most probably on April 24 (details will be announced soon by the airline).
“The special flights were not publicised to avoid unnecessary rush of people at the Pakistani missions,” said the diplomat.
Total 15 flights
At least 15 flights are scheduled to operate this week including the one April 18. “Pakistan’s national carrier will operate nine flights while six flights are expected to be given to UAE- based airlines,” the diplomat told Gulf News without further elaborating. He said that UAE-based airlines would announce their own flights.
He said special flights from UAE to Pakistan will be announced every week depending on the demand from passengers. Since it is a one-way flight operation, tickets are expensive ranging from Dh1500 to Dh1800 per person. In normal circumstances, this is the price of a two-way ticket.
Avoid crowding outside the consulate
Pakistan Consulate General staff in Dubai is calling every the stranded people individually to come to the consulate to buy their ticket from the specially set up PIA counter. “Please do not gather outside the consulate under any circumstances in violation of movement restrictions imposed in Dubai,” Consul General Ahmed Amjad Ali told the community earlier.
He said those who have registered with the consulate or the embassy would be called according to the priority set by the government. Priority will be given to those who lost jobs and those who came on visit visas but stranded here, and also those who have genuine emergency situation.
For flights operating from Abu Dhabi, tickets will be issued by the PIA office in Abu Dhabi and not at the Pakistan Embassy. PIA staff will call the registered people individually to buy the tickets as soon as the flights are open for sale.
Repatriation till May
Pakistan Ambassador Ghulam Dastgir has once again advised the stranded Pakistanis to be patient as all of them would be repatriated by May following instructions from Prime Minister Imran Khan.
7000 to be flown home
Meanwhile, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security Moeed Yusuf said that the government was doing its utmost to bring back Pakistanis from abroad. “This week, we will be able to bring back 6,000 Pakistanis from abroad and in the coming week, an estimated 7,000 people,” he added.
Yusuf said that in the coming weeks, commercial airlines will be allowed to fly stranded Pakistanis from abroad. He said that the government was doing its utmost to ensure that stranded Pakistans from abroad were brought back to the country safely.
He said that among the 2,000 Pakistanis brought home from abroad, only 40 had tested positive for the coronavirus. Yusuf said that they had been quarantined and treated properly.
He said that people from abroad will be kept in isolation for at lest two days. Those who are tested negative for COVID-19 test, will be allowed to go home with condition of self-quarantine for at least 14 days.
