The European Union (EU) has officially requested assistance from Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) for the evacuation of 420 people from Kabul to Islamabad.
According to the details, Ambassador of the EU to Pakistan Androulla Kaminara in a letter to chief executive officer (CEO) PIA Air Marshal Arshad Malik has sought PIA’s assistance for the evacuation of 420 people including children from Kabul to Islamabad. EU wants 251 people to be evacuated from Kabul to Islamabad by PIA on urgent basis.
“At this stage, we would ask for a flight from Kabul airport to Islamabad International Airport for direct further transit to EU through another aircraft made available by EU,” read the letter by European Union.
Furthermore, Asian Development Bank (ADB) also sought assistance from Pakistan’s national airline for the evacuation of approximately 290 passengers from Kabul to Islamabad. ADB Director General for Central and West Asia Eugenue Zhukov, in a letter to PIA CEO, requested evacuation of 162 passengers who are ADB staff/dependents and Afghan nationals and remaining are Filipino nationals currently stranded in Afghanistan.
“ADB will also secure necessary permissions from the Governments of Philippines and Tajikistan for their onward journeys. If the passengers need to stay temporarily in Islamabad, ADB will organize the necessary accommodation,” the letter said.
Sources said that following these requests, PIA is planning to operate three special flights to Kabul to evacuate foreigners and their dependents. On August 21, 2021, PIA cancelled all the flights scheduled for Kabul due to unavailability of necessary facilities at Kabul airport.
PIA Operates Two Special Flights To Kabul
PIA Suspends Kabul Flight Operations For Indefinite Period
According to PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez Khan, flight operations will remain closed for the next few days due to uncertain situation in Afghanistan. While talking to Radio Pakistan, he said that the national flag carrier has successfully evacuated 1,500 people including journalists, United Nations (UN) officials and Pakistani citizens in five flights as of now.
It is to be noted that aircraft of Pakistani airlines including PIA are not allowed to perform flights to/from destinations in European Union member states.
Stay tuned to Baaghi TV for latest news and updates!
