KARACHI: A special PIA flight carrying 107 Pakistanis who had been stranded in Iran landed in Islamabad early Tuesday, the national carrier said, after regional airspace disruptions forced days-long travel delays and overland detours.
Flight PK-9552, arranged under government instructions, departed from the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat and arrived at Islamabad International Airport at 3am, PIA said in a statement.
The passengers had crossed into Turkmenistan by road after being unable to depart directly from Iran due to ongoing airspace restrictions following the start of a war between longtime Middle Eastern enemies Israel and Iran since Friday. The two rivals launched new missile strikes at each other on Wednesday as the air war between them entered a sixth day despite a call from US President Donald Trump for Tehran’s unconditional surrender.
“Due to the closure of Iranian airspace, Pakistani nationals in Iran had to reach Turkmenistan through ground routes,” PIA said, adding that the repatriation was coordinated by Pakistan’s embassies in Tehran and Ashgabat.
“Our missions in Iran and Turkmenistan played a key role in facilitating this process,” PIA added.
