Only one on board as PIA flight departs from Manchester for Islamabad

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight which flew from Manchester on Sunday arrived in Islamabad with only one passenger on board. 

The single passenger, a native of Gujrat, was allowed to fly to Islamabad from Manchester as a special permission by the airline, officials said. 

News of the 'special flight' had created a buzz on social media, as commentators reacted to the fact that a single passenger flew aboard a plane with a capacity for 371 people apart from crew.

However, airline officials later clarified that flights from the UK are returning empty due to travel restrictions placed by the government following the outbreak of a new, more virulent strain of the coronavirus there. 

In this case, however, special permission was given to passenger Abdul Razzaq to accompany the body of a deceased relative to Pakistan. No other passenger has been allowed to accompany bodies during coronavirus-related travel restrictions, they clarified.

Corrections: An earlier version of this article had incorrectly stated that the flight was to Manchester. The error has since been rectified.