Lahore: Thousands of Pakistanis stay stranded in Pakistan due to the non-availability of Rapid Antigen Test facilities at the airports in the country.
‘There is no Rapid Antigen Test facility at the Pakistani airports. Therefore, passengers are not able to board the flights. The UAE has emphasized to strictly follow SOPs (standard operating procedures), and bring passengers that meet all the guidelines and conditions,’ said Sohail Nazar, UAE country manager at Airblue. Airblue is Pakistan’s largest private carrier which operates flights from Islamabad, Peshawar, Lahore and Multan to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
Earlier, the authorities in UAE had lifted suspension of flights from countries including Pakistan. As per the new announcement, vaccinated residents from these countries will be allowed enter the UAE. But, a Rapid Antigen Test facility within the premises of the airport of the departing country is mandatory.
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‘All the airlines are facing this challenge because none of the airports in Pakistan has this facility. Importantly, the condition is that this Rapid Antigen Test has to be conducted within the premises of the airport and not outside the premises of the airport. This means the rapid test has to be done four hours before departure of the flight,’ said the country manager of Airblue,
‘We had a meeting with the officials here in the UAE and they’re very clear about it. Local authorities need to set up a Rapid Antigen Test facility at Pakistani airports. Hopefully, this issue will be settled in a few days’ time,’ he added.
Several passengers complained that passengers on UAE-bound flights are not allowed to board as airports don’t have rapid test facilities.
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