By BR Web Desk

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has announced the resumption of direct flight operations to Saudi Arabia amid the Kingdom's decision to ease Covid-19 related restrictions.

As per reports, PIA will operate 35 flights on a weekly basis, from Lahore, Multan, Islamabad, and Peshawar to Jeddah, Madinah, Riyadh, Dammam and Al Qassim.

It was learnt that the carrier has also initiated seat booking.

The development comes as Saudi Arabia on Thursday allowed direct entry from six countries including Pakistan, Indonesia, India, Egypt, Vietnam and Brazil without spending 14-day quarantine in a third country.

However, “institutional quarantine procedures will be applied to them for (5) days regardless of their immunization status outside the Kingdom while continuing to apply the exceptions issued regarding some categories in this regard,” stated the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

The new directives will come into force from 1:00 am on December 1, 2021, SPA quoted an official source of the Ministry of Interior as saying.

“The announcement of allowing the direct entry from the above-mentioned countries was issued based on the continuous follow-up of the epidemiological situation locally and globally and the reports submitted by the Saudi competent health authorities about the developments of the coronavirus pandemic and the extent of the stability of the epidemiological situation in a number of countries,” quoted SPA.

This article was first published in Business Recorder on Nov 27, 2021.