PIA to continue bringing back Pakistanis from Saudi Arabia

KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has said that it will continue flights to bring back passengers from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan.
A spokesperson of the national carrier said this in a statement that came after Saudi Arabia announced again a ban from Wednesday on the arrival of passengers from 20 countries, including Pakistan.
It has been imposed in the wake of a new wave of coronavirus, the spokesperson said, adding that this means no passenger will be able to travel from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia.
Prior to the ban, PIA flights were operating as usual from Sialkot to Dammam, Multan to Madina and Islamabad to Riyadh. The ban by Saudi Arabia excludes diplomats, Saudi citizens, medical practitioners and their families.
The temporary ban includes people arriving from Argentina, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, the United States of America, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Pakistan, Brazil, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Turkey, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Lebanon, Egypt, India, and Japan.
The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) issued a written order to the airlines operating in Saudi Arabia which notified the temporary suspension of entry from 20 countries. It stated that the travel restrictions will also be applied to those passengers who have passed through the aforementioned countries during 14 days preceding the request to enter Saudi Arabia.