Govt extends closure of flight operations till April 21

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has extended its ban on all flight operations besides barring chartered and private planes due to coronavirus pandemic, on Thursday.

CAA notified the extension for the closure of all kind of flight operations including domestic and international following the orders of the federal government.

In another notification, CAA announced that chartered and private flights will remain shut from April 10 to April 21.

The aviation authority has also informed more than 30 general aviation and owners of private planes regarding the latest decision, whereas, the restrictions will also apply on Sindh chief minister’s helicopter, as well as VIP flights in Punjab and Balochistan.

Under the restrictions, small aircraft are bound to take special permission from the government for taking flights.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) suffered a loss of Rs3.6 billion in the month of March owing to suspension of flights to different counters amid coronavirus outbreak, it emerged on April 2.

According to details, as many as 1681 international and domestic flights were canceled during the month of March.

Around 212 flights were cancelled in the first 15 days of the past month, according to documentation released by CAA. The aviation authority has suffered a loss of Rs2723 million due to the flights’ suspension, landing and other charges.