PIA flight operations to Saudi Arabia continuing: spokesperson

ISLAMABAD: The national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Friday clarified that its flight operations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are continued as per schedule, ARY News reported.

According to a spokesperson of PIA, the national flag carrier will continue flight operations to Saudi Arabia until all Umrah pilgrims have not returned to Pakistan.

He said that as part of preventive measure against deadly coronavirus, the Saudi authorities have imposed a temporary ban on travellers from countries affected by the virus, including Pakistan.

The spokesperson said that that in line with instructions of the Saudi government, Umrah pilgrims and tourist visa holders from Pakistan would not be able to travel to the holy land temporarily.

He said that PIA’s officials were informing the passengers about the decision through telephone calls and added that the passengers will be returned their full money.

The PIA spokesperson maintained that the people holding work permit and permanent resident cards of Saudi Arabia are allowed to fly to the holy land.

Read More: Umrah pilgrims offloaded following ban by Saudi Arabia amid coronavirus threat

Earlier on February 27, following the temporary ban on Umrah pilgrims by Saudi Arabia in an attempt to ensure public safety by preventing the spread of coronavirus, several pilgrims had been offloaded by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and other private airlines.

Nearly 7 million Umrah pilgrims visit the Kingdom each year, the majority of whom arrive at airports in Jeddah and Madinah.

The passengers had been offloaded by from the flights at various airports of the country.