ISLAMABAD: Two repatriation flights carrying 287 stranded Pakistanis departed from Jeddah on Monday, the Consulate General of Pakistan in Saudi Arabia said in a statement released during the day.
“As part of the Government of Pakistan’s ongoing international repatriation flights operation, two more PIA special flights departed from Jeddah for Peshawar today. Flight PK 8736 carrying 142 passengers left Jeddah at 1240 hours while PK 8742 carrying 145 passengers at 1540 hours,” the statement said.
Officials of the country’s diplomatic mission were present at the airport to bid farewell to passengers on behalf of the consul general of Pakistan.
After suspension of routine international commercial flights due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the Pakistani government started special PIA flights operation to repatriate stranded citizens from different countries including Saudi Arabia.
“Over 2200 Pakistanis have so far been repatriated from Jeddah region since the start of these special PIA flights since May 2020. Similar special PIA flights are also being operated from Riyadh region,” the statement read.
It added that the embassy of Pakistan in Riyadh and consulate general in Jeddah were working in close collaboration with PIA and were coordinating arrangements of these special flights in their respective jurisdictions.
Saudi Arabia halted all international travel and suspended Umrah pilgrimage in response to the pandemic in March this year.
Over the last few months, Pakistan has brought back over 15,000 of its nationals who went to Saudi Arabia for Umrah but found themselves stranded amid the coronavirus lockdown in the kingdom.
