PIA to continue bringing back Pakistanis from Saudi Arabia

• PIA flights will continue to operate to bring back passengers from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan
• PIA's statement comes after Saudi Arabia suspended entry from 20 countries, including Pakistan amid new wave of coronavirus
• PIA spokesperson says ban in place from 9pm today

KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines will continue flights to bring back passengers from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan, says the national carrier's spokesperson.

The statement came after Saudi Arabia announced again a ban on the arrival of passengers from 20 countries, including Pakistan.

The ban will be in place starting today (Wednesday) after 9pm, the PIA spokesperson said.

Read more: Saudi Arabia suspends entry from 20 countries from Feb 3

It has been imposed in the wake of a new wave of coronavirus, the spokesperson said, adding that this means no passenger will be able to travel from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia.

Prior to the ban, PIA flights were operating as usual from Sialkot to Dammam, Multan to Madina and Islamabad to Riyadh. 

The ban by Saudi Arabia excludes diplomats, Saudi citizens, medical practitioners and their families.

Read more: Saudi Arabia bans international flights amid new coronavirus strain threats

The temporary ban includes people arriving from Argentina, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, the United States of America, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Pakistan, Brazil, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Turkey, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Lebanon, Egypt, India, and Japan.