ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday announced the resumption of outbound international flights from Saturday, over two months after the services were suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. The aviation ministry said that both national and foreign airlines will be allowed to operate from all international airports of the country except Gwadar and Turbat in Balochistan.
"As per decision of the federal government, the outbound international flights (scheduled, non-scheduled and charter flights) operation has been allowed with effect from 23:59 hours tonight," said aviation division spokesman Abdul Sattar Khokhar.
"Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for outbound international flights have already been issued according to which airlines will be required to follow the SOPs of the destination country," he said.
Khokhar said that congestion at airports will not be allowed and planes will be disinfected keeping in view the ongoing fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
Pakistan suspended all international flights in March but the flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was later allowed to fly to bring stranded Pakistanis from different parts of the world.
Pakistan's coronavirus cases on Friday reached 64,028 with 2,636 new patients while the death toll climbed to 1,317 after 57 people lost their lives in the last 24 hours, the health ministry said.