Karachi: Shaheen Air’s first Hajj flight carrying 216 pilgrims, who were stranded in Madina for two days, landed in Karachi early Sunday.
A day earlier, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had granted a special permission to Shaheen Air International to operate flights from Saudi Arabia as part of its Hajj operation.
The permission came after 350 pilgrims were stranded at the Madina airport as CAA refused to extend the airline’s regular public transport licence. On Friday, CAA had asked the airline to instead arrange flights of alternative airlines for the return of pilgrims.
The aviation authority had said the airline’s public transport licence, which is renewed every three months, expired on August 30. “There is no aircraft available on the airline’s inventory,” it added.
