ISLAMABAD: A special flight of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will airlift 217 nationals from Chengdu city of China to Islamabad on September 24.
According to a PIA spokesman, “All the arrangements have been finalized for the smooth operation of the flight PK-8554 from Chengdu to Islamabad on Thursday.
He further said the same flight will take back some 170 passengers including diplomats, officials, businessmen, workers and Pakistani spouses of the Chinese nationals.
The airline earlier operated eight flights to repatriate nationals including traders and students stranded in different cities of China following the virus outbreak, he added.
“All the special flights are being arranged and operated by PIA with the help of the relevant Chinese and Pakistani authorities,” the spokesman said.
It will be the ninth special flight to repatriate nationals from China, according to a PIA official. The special flights were started due to the disruption of the international flight operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier, former Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Zafar Mirza had said despite strong criticism from the opposition, the government had decided to stay firm on its earlier decision against the repatriation of Pakistanis stuck in virus-hit China.
During a press conference, Dr Mirza said that the decision was finalized after a meeting between Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, where the latter had assured that taking care of Pakistani citizens was a priority for China’s government.
Mirza had informed that the government had decided not to evacuate Pakistanis from China, adding that such a step would be “against the larger interest” of the country.
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