ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) increased its flights to the UAE on Saturday with new routes to the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah.
The national flag carrier's new flights to the northern emirate from Islamabad, Peshawar, Lahore and Karachi will help more Pakistani expats return to their jobs in the Gulf country after months of passenger flight suspensions by UAE authorities.
PIA already operates flights from all major Pakistani cities to different emirates of the UAE, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.
On Aug. 5, the UAE lifted a ban on transit passenger traffic from Pakistan, India, Nigeria and other countries though it still requires travelers from these countries to present negative COVID-19 PCR tests with a validity of 48 hours before departure from UAE-approved laboratories.
To facilitate Pakistani passengers traveling to the UAE, Pakistan this month put in place PCR rapid testing facility at all international airports in the country.
tests that are not done more than four hours before their departure.
The rapid PCR test can determine a COVID-19 case even before a person becomes infectious, making it possible to isolate such individuals on time. Other types of tests detect viral proteins, revealing the coronavirus presence in a person’s respiratory system at the peak of the infection.