Strict security arrangements were made as US citizens start gathering at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport to return home through a special flight.
After getting permission from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), a special flight of Tulsa-based Omni Air International, NCB-375, will be operated in Pakistan to repatriate US citizens. The boarding process was continued under the supervision of the airport manager while all passengers will also undergo medical tests before departure. US consul-general was also present at the airport to see off the passengers.
The charter flight landed in Karachi at 9:00 pm after taking passengers from Bulgaria. The aircraft is bound to transport 375 passengers including US citizens and diplomatic staff. The Omni Air International plane took off to the United States (US) at 10:00 pm. It emerged that the aviation authority had permitted four charter flights to land in Pakistan on the request of the US Embassy in Pakistan. A series of special flights also continued to repatriate stranded Pakistanis in foreign countries amid suspension of flight operations due to coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier, a charter flight brought back 113 nationals from Bahrain which landed in Faisalabad.Sources close to airport authorities said that all passengers will stay in the isolation centre for the next 14 days until they cleared the coronavirus tests.
Moreover, the same flight took 33 passengers on board before departing back to Bahrain. It is pertinent to mention here that the aviation authority had allowed the special aircraft to fly in Pakistan’s airspace over the request of Bahrain consulate-general.