Pakistan allows all airlines to operate, passengers can buy tickets directly

Stranded Pakistanis are no more required to wait for special flights ticket as the government has allowed all international airlines to resume their flight operations from June 20.
In a series of tweet, Pakistan's Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development said that now intended travellers to the country will be able to buy tickets directly from the airlines and they don't have to wait for call from the consulate and the embassy for approval to buy tickets.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired a Federal Cabinet meeting in Islamabad on Tuesday and gave green signal to resume international flight operation.
Initially, the international flights will only operate from Gulf countries and at later stage other airlines will be allowed to repatriate stranded Pakistanis through normal flight operations, according to sources. Pakistan suspended international flights on Mach 21 to contain the spread of Covid-19.
Ghulam Dastgir, Pakistan's Ambassador to the UAE, said Islamabad has decided to open its airspace for all international airlines in a phased manner.
"In first phase, international airlines are allowed to book stranded Pakistanis from June 20 onwards. It will help facilitate overseas Pakistanis who stranded after the ban on international flights in March,"" Dastgir told Khaleej Times on Wednesday.
More than 80,000 stranded Pakistani citizens have registered with the Pakistani diplomatic missions in the UAE so far. Majority of this [around 70,000] are registered with the Pakistan Consulate General in Dubai.
"We have repatriated more than 36,000 Pakistanis, including 18,000-plus from Dubai, so far. Pakistan International Airlines has repatriated more than 29,000 Pakistanis and rest have been travelled through the UAE airlines including Emirates, flydubai and Air Arabia," the ambassador said.
Majority of 1.5 million Pakistanis residing in the UAE are comprising of blue-collar workers and many of them have lost their jobs and are now stranded due to coronavirus crisis.
He said Pakistani government is coordinating with the UAE authorities to organise special flight operations to repatriate its citizens from the emirate.
"We started the registration of stranded Pakistanis in the UAE in March. We proposed the government to open Pakistani airspace with more international flights so maximum people can get benefit of the policy," the ambassador said.
Dr Moeed Yusuf, special assistant to Pakistan Prime Minister on National Security, said all airlines will be allowed to operate in Pakistan from June 20.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, he said up to 45,000 Pakistanis per week are expected to return to the country following the ease of ban on international flights.
Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari, special assistant to Prime Minister for Overseas Pakistani, was also present on the occasion.
"We are going to resume international flights with 25 per cent capacity with affect from June 20 to accelerate the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis," Yusuf said.
Sources said Bukhari convinced the prime minister to allow international flights as soon as possible to facilitate overseas Pakistanis. "Nearly 200,000 Pakistanis have become jobless and stranded mostly in Gulf countries and we need to offer them helping hand," Bukhari informed the prime minister.
Yusuf said overseas Pakistan are no more required registration and approval to book their return flights to the country.
"We are ready to facilitate stranded Pakistanis. All passengers will not be screened for Covid-19. However, passengers will have to self-quarantined at home for 14 days," he said.
According to aviation officials, Pakistan has already allowed eight airports across the country to receive repatriation flights and more measures will be announced in due course of time to facilitate the return of overseas Pakistanis.
muzaffarrizvi@khaleejtimes.com