BEIJING: Shaheen Air flight took off on Monday morning carrying more than 200 Pakistanis who were stranded at China’s Guangzhou airport.
A Shaheen Air flight which landed at Guangzhou airport earlier today took off with the passengers and is expected to reach Lahore late at night.
According to the sources, the stranded Pakistanis have been issued the boarding passes and have given clearance from immigration officials.
On Sunday, Shaheen Air International had decided to send its own aircraft for the rescue mission, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and private airline authorities confirmed.
Earlier, it was reported that Shaheen Air had sought the help of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to bring back the stranded passengers.
As many as 300 Pakistanis were left stranded in the Chinese port city of Guangzhou after their Shaheen Air flight was abruptly canceled on July 29, following a dispute over payment of arrears totaling over Rs 1.5 billion between the airline and the CAA.
The airline’s international operations — except Hajj flights — were suspended several days ago by the CAA owing to the mounting debt.
The stranded citizens continued to face immense difficulties amid a blame game between the CAA and Shaheen Air.
A few of them have also reportedly fallen sick as they continue to await their return home for past seven days.
Also read: Pakistani passengers stranded in China await being rescued
