ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) first special flight carrying 200Pakistani stranded in the United States due to coronavirus epidemic, landed at Islamabad International Airport on Monday.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PIA informed that more flights will make their way to Pakistan from the United States in the coming days.
He said another flight will arrive in Pakistan tomorrow carrying Pakistani nationals from the US. PIA was allowed to operate direct flights to Washington to airlift its stranded citizens, he added.
The CEO further said the permission was granted by the US Transport Department on Pakistan’s request to repatriate its stranded citizens in the United States.
The passengers upon their arrival appreciated the efforts of the Pakistani High Commission for providing all possible support and assistance during their stay in the US.
Pakistan Ambassador to the United States Asad Amjad personally inspected the arrangements at the airport and extended his best wishes to the nationals returning to the homeland.
Ambassador Amjad said that the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis is a top priority for the Government of Pakistan.
The Pakistan Embassy in Washington and its Consulates in the United States will continue to take all possible measures to ensure safe and early return of all the Pakistanis desirous of returning home amid the coronavirus pandemic, he said.
A helpline set up by the Embassy and its Consulates for the facilitation of stranded Pakistan would also continue to function till such time that all of them have been repatriated.
Sources said that on their arrival, all the passengers and crew members have been shifted to a quarantine center after screening and testing them for the coronavirus.
The sources added the passengers will be allowed to leave for their homes if their test results return negative.
Pakistan is continuing its efforts to bring back its stranded nationals across the globe and so far 19,750 have been airlifted from the various countries.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi had also instructed all Pakistani missions abroad to facilitate the repatriation of Pakistanis during the epidemic.
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