Termination of ICA approval: Hundreds of passengers bound for UAE stranded at airports

KARACHI: Following the termination of ICA approval by the UAE government, hundreds of passengers, who are bound for UAE, have been stranded at the airports. The process of obtaining approval from Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA), UAE was terminated on August 12, 2020 that led hundreds of passengers, who were intended to travel to UAE from Pakistan, have been stranded at the airports.

When PIA management contacted Abu Dhabi airport officials, they replied that ICA approval had been revoked and warned the PIA that if these passengers arrived, they would be deported and the airline would be penalized.

PIA spokesman Abdullah Khan confirmed that passengers of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and other airlines, who were bound for UAE, were stranded at the airports. He said that when passengers of PK217 (Peshawar - Abu Dhabi) arrived at the airports, their visa approval was not sent during the check-in process, forcing them to stay at airports.

He said that PIA was in touch with Abu Dhabi Airport authorities through its country managers to clear the said confusion and added that if the issue was not resolved shortly, Pakistan would then seek help from diplomatic sources.

Needless to mention, on August 12, 2020, 59 PIA passengers could not board the flight from Peshawar to Abu Dhabi and are still waiting at the airport while 83 passengers of a private airline were also dropped off from Islamabad to Abu Dhabi.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020