Tag Shaheen Air

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.

CAA also said that the airline has outstanding dues of Rs1.4 billion and legal action is being taken against it.

CAA grants Shaheen Air permission to operate Hajj flights

Further, the authority advised passengers to remain cautious in their dealings with the airline.

Following this, a Shaheen Air spokesperson said they had to cancel a scheduled flight to bring back Hajj pilgrims.

CAA had ensured earlier that no hurdle will come in bringing back pilgrims, the spokesperson added.

Over 214 Pakistanis, who had been stranded in China for over a week, were brought to Lahore by Shaheen Air on Monday
ISLAMABAD: The Chief Justice of Pakistan on Tuesday ordered Shaheen Air to pay monetary compensation to over 214 passengers who were left stranded in China for a week, after their flight was abruptly cancelled following a payment dispute between the airline and the Civil Aviation Authority.

After remaining stuck at the airport in the Chinese port city of Guangzhou since July 29, the passengers were finally brought back home via a Shaheen Air flight on Monday. The passengers were said to have faced immense difficulties amid the blame game between the CAA and Shaheen Air, with a few also reported to have fallen sick as they waited to return home.

A three-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar resumed hearing its suo motu notice on the matter today. The apex court had last week ordered the airline to ensure all stranded passengers were flown back home by Monday and compensated fairly.

As the hearing got under way, the chief justice remarked that the passengers had suffered unusual mental strain by being stranded for so many days at the airport, and ordered the airline to pay monetary compensation to all the affected passengers.

The chief executive of Shaheen Air, who was summoned before the bench today, said the airline could pay Rs5 million in compensation and asked the court to determine an amount for the purpose.

CJP Nisar remarked that the airline should pay Rs0.1 million to each passenger who went through the ordeal.

The Shaheen Air CEO responded that he would consult with the finance department, and blamed the CAA for the fiasco. He further informed the bench that the airline had borne passengers’ expenses.

Flight from China carrying 214 stranded Pakistanis reaches Lahore

The chief justice remarked that many passengers had been forced to borrow money, while the embassy also lent out support to them.

The top judge then ordered the official to inform the court till August 20 about how much money the airline would be paying to the passengers in compensation. He also instructed the CEO to apprise the court of the airline’s dispute with the CAA in written form.

The court adjourned the next hearing till August 20.