New guidelines on how to book repatriation flight tickets to Pakistan have been issued for people in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, after movement restrictions in the capital were extended.
Pakistani citizens seeking to return to their home country can now book tickets with the national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), through the company's mobile app, official PIA website and authorised travel agents.
Previously, tickets could only be booked once the person received a call by officials at the General Consulate of Pakistan in Dubai, who gave further instructions on where to purchase them from.
Citizens have been urged not to visit the embassy or PIA office “due to the restrictions imposed by the authorities”.
At present, Abu Dhabi has banned movement in and out of the emirate and between its three main regions.
Residents of Abu Dhabi City, Al Ain and Al Dhafra can travel within their cities but may not leave them or enter other regions. They also cannot go to other emirates.
On Wednesday, the Pakistan Embassy in Abu Dhabi issued a new set of guidelines in light of the movement restriction and which include flight ticket fares.
Economy class tickets to Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Faisalabad and Multan are priced at Dh1,110 and business class costs Dh2,200.
Economy class tickets to Karachi are going for Dh1,000 and business class is Dh1,900.
Pakistani citizens who live in Dubai and the Northern Emirates can purchase a ticket from the Dnata building near Clock Tower in Deira after they receive a confirmation call from the consulate.
Pakistan's consul-general, Ahmed Amjad Ali, reiterated that citizens should beware of fake travel agents selling flight tickets.
A total of 46 special flights carrying 10,500 Pakistanis will be carried out from the UAE from June 7 to June 15.
As of June 5, more than 20,000 citizens have been repatriated to Pakistan.
The categories for flight tickets from Dubai to parts of Pakistan have also been recently revised. The ‘Y’ class, which costed slightly more than economy but cheaper than business, is no longer available.
