PIA all set to start direct flights to Canada

KARACHI – The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will resume its direct flight operations to Canada, a spokesman of the national flag carrier said Monday.

A statement issued by a PIA spokesperson said that the national carrier will resume its direct flights to Toronto, Canada.

The announcement came after Canadian authorities allowed Pakistan International Airlines to resume its flights to the major Canadian city, which were earlier restricted to cargo flights only, in wake of the surge in Covid-19 cases. However, the other travel-related advisories relating to Canada will remain in place, the statement added.

PIA will start three direct flights per week from Pakistan to Toronto in the first phase with strict SOPs set in place. Earlier, PIA CEO assured the Canadian government that the airline will be following strict standard operating procedures to stem the spread of Covid.

Great news: based on the current situation in Pakistan, @Official_PIA will be resuming direct passenger flights to Canada for eligible travellers.

Please see: https://t.co/WWB2CMNT8N for further information. https://t.co/L704cSDj9l

— Wendy Gilmour (@gilmour_wendy) June 21, 2021

The national flag carrier has already inoculated its entire crew and ground staff and it also announced vaccinating the passengers against the deadly virus - the first airline in the region to do so.

CEO Arshad Malik has also instructed to immediately start processing the sale of tickets and it is expected that the first flight will resume from coming Sunday.

Meanwhile, COVID vaccination certificates along with the negative COVID tests are the prerequisites for traveling to the North American country.