RAWALPINDI: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has granted permission to Oman-based airliner, Salam Air, to operate six flights from Muscat to five cities of Pakistan from July 18 to 24.

Salam Air had requested to operate special flights to repatriate Pakistanis from Muscat.

According to the schedule approved by the CAA, Salam Air will operate its first flight from Muscat to Karachi on July 18, to Sialkot on July 19, to Multan on July 20 and to Islamabad on July 22.

Salam Air will operate its flight from Muscat to Peshawar on July 23 and to Lahore on July 24.

The CAA permission will be subject to the conditions that no crew member will be allowed to disembark the aircraft upon arrival in Pakistan.

After the emergence of the dubious licence crisis, the Omani Civil Aviation Authority had warned Pakistan that the national flag carrier (PIA) could be barred from using its airspace and asked Islamabad to explain what measures had been taken to ensure safety of flights.

The Omani aviation authorities were among the ten countries who had also asked Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority to validate credentials of 176 Pakistani pilots, including 18 employed in Oman and other nine countries.

Responding to their requests, the CAA has validated credentials of 166 pilots as genuine and having no anomaly.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2020