KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has sent two more special flights for Kabul on Friday to bring back the stranded Pakistanis and other foreign nationals.

According to details, as part of resumptions of operations to Kabul, two more PIA special flights left for Kabul on Friday to bring back stranded Pakistanis and other foreign nationals. The flights were operated on the request of Pakistan embassy in Kabul and other foreign agencies.

CEO PIA, Air Marshal Arshad Malik, himself, traveled on the first flight from Islamabad to Kabul to encourage and motivate the PIA crew who are at the forefront in this national service and on a humanitarian mission.

To the pleasant surprise of the crew, the Director-General of the Afghan Civil Aviation Authority came on the radio and welcomed the aircraft and the CEO PIA when it entered the Afghan airspace.

Later, on touchdown, CEO PIA, who was the first passenger to disembark the aircraft, was greeted by the DG Afghan Civil Aviation Authority, other Airport officials, and Pakistan's Ambassador to Afghanistan, Mansoor Ahmed Khan.

During his brief stay in Kabul, CEO PIA met with Afghan Civil Aviation Authority officials, NATO forces' officials and had a one-on-one with the Pakistan ambassador to Afghanistan, discussing the arrangements to handle the flights and passengers. He also reviewed the handling arrangements and terminal services at Kabul.

PIA operated two flights, one by A320 aircraft and the other by Boeing 777 Aircraft. Around 390 passengers were brought to Islamabad from Kabul on these two flights, which included Pakistani nationals, foreign diplomats, foreign media, journalists, and World Bank employees.

It is expected that PIA will be allowed to operate more flights by the minister of aviation, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, who has instructed the officials to review flight operations to other cities of Afghanistan.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021