ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Sialkot International Airport has become the first airport in the country to install a Rapid PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing facility for passengers traveling to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), an airport official said on Tuesday.
UAE lifted a ban on transit passenger traffic from India, Pakistan, Nigeria and other countries from August 5, with the National Emergency and Crisis Management Authority (NCEMA) saying passengers traveling from countries where flights had been suspended would be able to transit through its airports as long as they presented negative rapid PCR tests taken 72 hours prior to departure.
However, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) has said the country does not have the resources to conduct rapid PCR tests and only rapid antigen testing (RAT) was currently available at its airports.
“We have arranged a rapid PCR testing facility at our airport with the help of a city lab and research center,” Nisar Ahmad, a manager at Sialkot International Airport, told Arab News, adding that the facility had been operational since Monday night, and passengers had to pay for their own tests.
“Under this arrangement, 122 passengers traveled to Dubai on a FlyDubai flight with reports of rapid PCR tests,” Ahmed said.
A rapid PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing facility for passengers can be seen at Sialkot International Airport, Pakistan, on August 9, 2021. (Courtesy: Sialkot International Airport)
A spokesperson for the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, Saad bin Ayub, said the authority was “working on different options” to fulfill the requirements of the UAE government and had written a letter to the ministry of foreign affairs requesting them to use diplomatic channels to convince the UAE government to accept rapid antigen, instead of Rapid PCR, tests.
“The response we have got from MoFA is that the UAE government requires only the rapid PCR,” he added.
The UAE embassy in Islamabad said rapid PCR test results were mandatory for all nationalities and destinations.
“Yes, rapid PCR is mandatory for all nationalities and destinations,” the embassy told Arab News in a statement.
