Pakistan earns from overseas community during pandemic

DUBAI: Pakistan has earned more than Dh700 million (Rs3.2billion) from stranded Pakistanis in United Arab Emirates (UAE), by flying them back to homeland according to the Pakistan diplomatic officials.

Pakistan Consulate Dubai estimated Dh450 million (Rs2.05 billion) collections through overseas Pakistanis going back from Dubai after the suspension of normal international flights at the end of March. While, the rest of the amount amassed from the Pakistani expats being flown from Abu Dhabi in the PIA special flights.

The aviation industry across the world has been encountering challenges following the outbreak of the Covid-19 but Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) earned a hefty amount through overseas destitute Pakistanis during the pandemic. In the UAE, Pakistan national carrier (PIA) carried out repatriation operations for the stranded Pakistanis in association with the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resources Development (MoHRD).

The air-fares from the UAE to Pakistan were ranging from Dh1,000 (Rs45,000) to Dh2,200 (Rs100,000) during the repatriation operation.

Around 60,000 stranded Pakistanis have been evacuated, and almost 50,000 have flown back to their homeland in PIA special flights while 10,000 traveled on UAE based airlines. Almost 10 percent stranded Pakistanis who registered with the diplomatic missions are still waiting to be repatriated so the earning would increase in coming weeks, a senior diplomat reiterated. He presumed that the national airline, although, would have competition with other international airlines for evacuating the remaining stranded overseas Pakistanis in the emirates as the air-fares are likely to shoot up.