11 special flights to bring Saudi iqama holders back to Kingdom — PIA

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has started 11 special flights to take Saudi iqama holders of Pakistani origin back to the Kingdom after officials of the Arab state gave them a 72-hour ultimatum to return amid mounting fear of coronavirus, a PIA official said on Saturday.
“We have started 11 special flights along with our regular flights to Saudi Arabia. Earlier we got permission for seven flights from the Saudi authorities, but we sought it for four more and they granted it,” PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafeez told Arab News over the phone from Karachi.
The Saudi authorities on Thursday announced a range of measures to contain the threat of coronavirus as cases of viral infection increased in the Kingdom. These include temporary suspension of travel of citizens and expatriates to a number of countries, including the European Union, Switzerland, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and some African nations. It also gave a 72-hour period to citizens and those with valid residency permits to return to the Kingdom before the travel suspension decision came into effect.
Hafeez said that PIA would not be able to take all the passengers to Saudi Arabia within the stipulated time since the number of passengers was too high. Many of these iqama holders had taken leave from work and were visiting Pakistan.
“It is an emergency situation so normal operations will not be able to cater to this demand. We can manage aircraft availability, but we are not getting slot permission due to heavy influx of flights from all over the world. The ultimatum is for the whole world which has created a flight congestion in the Kingdom,” he said.
“The return of iqama holder from all over the world in 72 hours is not manageable,” he continued. “Therefore, we hope that the Kingdom will extend the deadline.”
Pakistan’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia Raja Ali Ejaz said the mission was in touch with the Saudi authorities on the issue of the 72-hour deadline.
“Pakistan’s direct flights to the Kingdom have four destinations that includes Jeddah, Riyadh, Makkah and Medina. We are in contact with the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) to arrange special flights to the Kingdom to facilitate Pakistani citizens,” he told Arab News via phone from Riyadh on Friday.
Faizan Akthar, member of Pakistan’s Travel Agents’ Association, said that requests for tickets to various Saudi cities had registered a significant increase during the past few days.
“I have received hundreds of calls to arrange urgent tickets for Saudi Arabia during the last two days. Unfortunately, tickets are not available, though the clients offered extra money,” Akhtar said while speaking to Arab News from Rawalpindi.
Ifrat Hussain from Jhelum, who works at an auto workshop in Tabuk, said he could not find any flights to return to the Kingdom and worried about his job.
“I took a leave and came here last month. I booked my return ticket for April 5. After the deadline was announced, I tried my best to get an urgent ticket. Now I am worried about my job since it is difficult to know when will the ban be lifted,” he told Arab News.
Another iqama holder, Muddassar Gillani from Muzaffarabad, works at a poultry farm in Riyadh. He requested the Pakistani authorities to help its nationals save their future.
“I tried to pay double the amount to get a ticket but remained unsuccessful. Under the circumstances, I request the Pakistani government to help us get back to our jobs because they are at stake. The government must arrange special flights and request Saudi officials to extend the deadline,” he said.