Pakistan International Flight Restrictions (5–20 May 2021)
In order to mitigate the spread of new COVID-19 variants, Pakistan planned to reduce international air travel to and from the country by 80%. This decision was taken during the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) meeting held on 1 May 2021.
Key Decisions:
- Flight Operations
- International inbound flight operations were restricted to 20% of the existing capacity.
- Requirements for Inbound Travellers
- Passengers must present a negative RT-PCR test result conducted within 72 hours prior to departure.
- A Rapid Antigen Test will be conducted upon arrival at airports in Pakistan.
- Passengers testing negative on arrival will be permitted to proceed to their homes and must observe self-isolation for 10 days.
- Passengers testing positive will be transferred by provincial or district authorities to a self-paid quarantine facility for 10 days. A follow-up test will be conducted on the 8th day of quarantine to determine eligibility for discharge to home.
- It is mandatory for all inbound travellers to register on the Pass Track Application prior to travel.
- Deportees are exempted from Pass Track App registration, as per Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) instructions.
- Implementation Period
- These measures were effective from midnight of 4/5 May 2021 to midnight of 19/20 May 2021.
- Review
- The restrictions and protocols were scheduled for reassessment in the NCOC meeting on 18 May 2021.
At the time of issuance, no detailed list of affected flights or destinations had been provided. Further updates were expected to be released separately by the relevant authorities.