ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) Saturday issued aformal NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) about suspension of international flightoperations from and to five airports including Multan, Peshawar, Sialkot,Quetta and Faisalabad as part of safety measures against the Coronavirus.
“International flight operations to/from Multan, Peshawar, Sialkot, Quettaand Faisalabad will remain suspended with effect from Saturday, March 14,2020, 0700 UTC/1200 PST and until further orders in this regard,” theauthority said in a NOTAM.
However, the international flight operations would only be permitted fromKarachi, Islamabad and Lahore Airports in accordance with the establishedflight schedules and requests for additional/extra section flights would bedealt with, “by the respective airports as per policy and availability ofslots.”
It said the government and PCAA were taking all possible measures to helpthe national cause in prevention of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) in “theemergent national circumstance.”
The authority had placed concrete measures at all airports and strengthenedStandard Operating Procedures to deal with the issue in an efficient way.
Meanwhile, the authority planned to operate around 71 flights from and toSaudi Arabia each for transportation of approximately 39,980 passengersafter the Kingdom suspended the entry of certain types of passengers to theKingdom of Saudi Arabia with 72-hour time limit, effective from March 12 –1529 hours KSA standard time.
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The Pakistan International Airlines, Airblue, Saudi Gulf, Saudi Arabian andFly Nas would operate 71 flights to take around 18,843 passengers to SaudiArabia, and the same number of sorties would be made to bring around 21,137passengers to Pakistan from the Kingdom.
The authority said the airline operators from the both states had requestedthe Kingdom to extend the time limit for another 72 hours, till March 18.
“The suspension applies to entry into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and doesnot apply, as per the circular, to the flights intending to return citizensof the countries mentioned therein back to their countries, also cargoflights and the flights intended to carry health practitioners,” theauthority said.
