The Pakistan International Airlines will continue to operate special flights to bring back more Pakistanis stuck in abroad following the suspension of flight operations due to coronavirus outbreak.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the spokesperson for the national flag carrier said that PIA brought back 43,900 Pakistanis so far through 117 special flights. He said that special flights were operated in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Australia, Canada, Japan, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and United Kingdom (UK).

The spokesman said that He said PIA was suffering about Rs 5 billion loss monthly due to pandemic.

On Friday, Minister for Aviation Division Ghulam Sarwar Khan informed the National Assembly that 7,000 stranded Pakistanis would be brought back before Eid.

Speaking on the floor of National Assembly, he said, “From May 14 to May 22, the government is bringing back about 7,000 stranded Pakistanis from across the world to enable them to celebrate Eid with their loved ones.”