Hundreds of UAE-bound Pakistani travelers have been denied boarding passes because of the non-availability of the Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) facility within the premises of the country’s airports.
The development comes after the UAE government allowed vaccinated travelers from Pakistan and five other countries to enter the country from 5 August. However, it also made it mandatory to get a negative RAT conducted within fours hours before departure from a testing facility inside the airports’ premises.
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According to details, 300 passengers from Emirates flight EK-613 at the New Islamabad International Airport and 70 passengers from EK-601 at the Jinnah International Airport Karachi have been stranded after they failed to submit the mandatory negative RAT reports. Reportedly, only people who had received vaccination in the UAE were allowed to board the flights.
A UAE-based airline’s country manager for Pakistan has said that airlines have been forced to turn away UAE-bound travelers despite them being fully vaccinated because the UAE government has issued them stern orders to follow SOPs.
He lamented that there is no RAT facility available at any Pakistani airport, which is why all UAE-based airlines have denied boarding passes to the passengers.
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PIA’s regional manager for UAE has said that the national flag carrier will soon set up mobile RAT labs at all airports so that UAE-bound travelers can take the tests before departure.
One of the stranded passengers has said that they were not allowed to board the flights due to the non-availability of the RAT facility at the airports, advising other passengers against getting RAT from any laboratory unless it becomes clear that they are providing the facility inside the airports’ premises.
