PIA Suspends Flights To Saudi Arabia Over Covid-19

Pakistan International Airlines have cancelled all flights to Saudi Arabia for a week after the gulf country banned entries through all air and land routes owing to the rising number of Covid-19.

“Until flight permissions are restored, all flights will remain cancelled,” said PIA spokesman Abdullah Khan.

He said that the PIA, following the announcement has halted all flights from the country. All of the scheduled flights from Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad to cities of Saudi Arabia have now been cancelled, he added.

Meanwhile, the PIA flights currently in Saudi Arabia will be allowed to return back to Pakistan.

The PIA said that all of the passengers will be facilitated on an immediate basis as soon as the fights are resumed while asking all passengers to share their accurate contact numbers so that they can be contacted easily once the flights are resumed.

Affected passengers call PIA call centre at 111 786 786 for any guidance or information.

The announcement comes after another unique Covid-19 strain was reported in some countries around the world.

The UK earlier in the last week said that the country has discovered a unique strain of Covid-19 which spreads more rapidly and is deadlier than its previous version.

“We’re learning about it as we go, but we already know enough, more than enough, to be sure that we must act now,” said UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a press briefing.

He announced fresh restrictions for London and other parts of England ahead of the Christmas holiday as the country’s residents were shocked to learn that their celebrations will be cut short.

“When the virus changes its method of attack, we must change our method of defense,” Johnson said in defense of fresh restrictions.