RAWALPINDI: After the government granted permission to operate chartered flights, 591 American and British citizens stra­nded in Pakistan have been repatriated to their home countries.

A flight of Omni Air, OYO-373, landed at Islam­abad International Airport from Sofia and later dep­arted for Washington at 7.50am on Wednesday with 357 US citizens, including 19 infants, on board.

All the passengers were subjected to health screening and temperature check before they boarded the aircraft. The US embassy had established a facilitation counter at the airport to assist them before boarding the flight.

In line with the standard operating procedures, none of the crew members were allowed to disembark from the plane at the airport.

However, the nine crew members of Qatar Airways flight, who were to replace another batch of crew arrived in Islamabad earlier, have been quarantined at a hotel.

Later at 1.30pm, a Qatar Air­ways special flight QR-3451 carrying 234 UK nationals left Islamabad for London.

The government has gra­nted permission to the United Kingdom to operate 10 chartered flights to repatriate its citizens stranded in Pakistan.

The US embassy req­uested assistance with the arrival and departure of six private chartered flights to facilitate the repatriation of about 1,800 private Ame­ri­can citizens and diplomats from Islamabad and Karachi.

The embassy had also sought assistance in arranging a health screening, inc­luding temperature check, for all outbound passengers on these chartered flights. It also requested access to space in the Islamabad Air­port concourse for American consular staff to establish their facilitation services cou­nter in coordination with the airport management to complete the required processing of US passengers.

This would be, however, in addition to the airline’s check-in process for the flight as well as the immigration, customs and security checks.

The US embassy had already informed American citizens that these chartered flights will be the final fli­ghts arranged by their government out of Pakistan. If anybody declined the seat, then the said person will remain in Pakistan until commercial flight operations were resumed.

These flights are not free, as the travellers will be required to sign an “Evacuee Manifest and Promissory note” which will be provided after the confirmation of the seat by the traveller. And travellers were asked to make their own way to either Karachi or Islamabad airport.

And on reaching Washington Dulles Airport, the passengers will have to make their onward travel arrangements to their final destination. Each passenger has been asked to bring two pieces of checked luggage and each bag should not be more than 23kg. One carry-on and one personal item are also allowed.

The six chartered flights – four from Islamabad and two from Karachi – will be operated by private American carriers Atlas Air and Omni Air. The chartered flights will be operated till April 26.

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2020