PIA to operate special flights to Doha to bring back stranded pilgrims

KARACHI: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will arrange special flights to bring back stranded Pakistanis from Qatar.

"Chief Executive Officer of the PIA Nayyar Hayat issued directives for operating special flights to Doha to bring back the stranded pilgrims. The PIA's country manager has been asked to coordinate with the pilgrims there and make special arrangements for their evacuation," said the PIA's spokesperson.

He said the CEO further directed the head of the airport and marketing services to make appropriate arrangements to help the pilgrims and asked the PIA staff in Doha to stay in touch with the Pakistani embassy there.

The Pakistani pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia for Umrah via Doha got stuck there after Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE and Egypt severed their diplomatic ties with Qatar accusing it of supporting terrorism.

Subsequently, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and UAE announced to cut all land, sea and air links with Qatar.

The unprecedented measures against Doha include ordering Qatari citizens to leave within 14 days and banning citizens of the three Gulf states from travelling to Qatar.

Doha airport, along with airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, have become major hubs after Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways seized a significant chunk of transcontinental travel on routes linking Western countries with Asia and Australasia.

Meanwhile, the dispute between gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain, with Qatar has put Pakistani pilgrims in trouble as more than 200 of them traveling through Qatar Airways are trapped at Doha airport.

Their flight was scheduled to reach Jeddah via Doha, but it has stuck in Doha after the Arab nations cut ties with Qatar, and the airline had to suspend all its flights to Saudi Arabia.

Furthermore, the airline officials have neither arranged any contacts between the passengers and Pakistan embassy, nor given them the schedule of next flight. The Umrah performers, wearing ihrams, have been stranded at the airport for hours. The airline has not even issued hotels to these passengers.

The pilgrims told that the crew of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) came, gave them consolations, and went away. The passengers have demanded government to take notice of this matter and take measures to bring them back as soon as possible.

Earlier, PIA CEO Nayyar Hayat in a statement directed that special flights be arranged to Doha to bring back Pakistani pilgrims stranded there.

Hayat asked the country manager to coordinate with the Pakistanis stranded in Qatar. PIA officials in Doha have also been directed to contact the Pakistan Embassy in Doha. - NNI