Pakistan International Airline carriers. PHOTO: FAISAL MOIN/EXPRESS
Speaking to The Express Tribune on Tuesday, PIA spokesperson Mashood Tajwar said the airline is in touch with Pakistani embassy in Qatar to get a confirmed number of passengers currently stranded. He, however, refuted reports that a special carrier had been dispatched for the pilgrims already.
Pakistani pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia for Umrah via Qatar are stranded in the Qatari capital after several Arab countries, including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Libya and Egypt cut diplomatic ties with Qatar.
Major UAE airlines suspend all flights to Qatar
"There are two options for PIA. Either take them from Doha to Jeddah, and for that we will be needing Saudi government permission. Or the second is to bring them back to Pakistan and take them to Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Stressing that the passengers were customers of Qatar Airways and not PIA, Tajwar said some of them may be redirected to different carriers by the former.
A special plane will be sent by the national carrier if needed, the spokesperson added.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority has also approached Qatar Airways and is remaining in touch with the airline to help Pakistani passengers stranded in Doha.
Passengers are now being adjusted on different airlines with the help of Qatar Airways to proceed to their destinations, said Pervez George, the spokesperson for the CAA.
Qatar is home to global airline Qatar Airways and many airports in the Gulf region are major hubs for international connecting flights. Its main Hamad International Airport, for example, served about 9.8 million passengers from January to March, according to its website.
With additional input from Reuters
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