UK to operate chartered flights to repatriate citizens stranded in Pakistan

• The diplomat said that his team has been working with the Pakistani authorities to keep some international flights running.

The United Kingdom will organize a series of chartered flights to repatriate Brits stranded in Pakistan, amid international flight cancellation due to coronavirus pandemic.

“I know how stressful Pakistan international flight suspension has been, with so many British nationals unable to get home,” said British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Christian Turner in a video message on Wednesday.

The diplomat said that his team has been working with the Pakistani authorities to keep some international flights running. “PIA was the only airline permitted to operate commercially so the best and quickest way to get stranded Brits home,” he said.

The British High Commissioner said that over 7,758 passengers have been repatriated to the UK from April 4th. Turner said that the PIA has informed them that they would no longer operate daily flights to the UK, after which UK’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has agreed that they would now organize a series of chartered flights to bring more Britians back home.

I spoke to @SMQureshiPTI y'day to discuss how we get more people home from Pakistan. 7,550 people have returned in last 10 days on @Official_PIA flights. Given options now closing, we will charter flights. We’ll share details in coming days via our travel advice and @CTurnerFCO

— Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) April 15, 2020