Passengers flying domestically in Pakistan will not be served inflight meals from today as part of protocols to contain the spread for COVID-19. The decision was announced by Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Saturday following a dramatic surge of COVID infections in the country.

No meals on domestic flights

The recent surge in COVID cases in Pakistan has led the country's COVID-19 task force to take action to contain the spread of the virus. On Saturday, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) met with various stakeholders and spoke about the COVID situation in the country.

Among other directives, it was decided that a complete ban on inflight snacks and meals would be implemented from January 17. The decision was conveyed to the aviation authority, which then announced it on its Twitter account. The CAA was also directed to ensure that other standard operating procedures such as wearing masks were followed at all airports in the country.

Planning Minister Asad Umar had been keeping a close eye on the Omicron situation in Pakistan and warned last week about a rapid surge in cases. Umar, who is also the NCOC chief, stressed the importance of following COVID protocols, among other practices, to contain the virus.

Meals on domestic flights have been banned to discourage passengers from taking off their masks while eating and minimize contact between passengers and cabin crew.

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New COVID wave in Pakistan

Like the rest of the world, Pakistan, too, is battling a dramatic rise in COVID cases led by the latest Omicron variant. The latest COVID wave is the country's fifth after cases began to rise earlier this month. On Saturday, the country recorded a total of 4,286 cases in 24 hours, its highest since August last year. As one of the measures to curb the situation, a ban on snacks and meals was put not just on flights but on all public transport.

This isn't the first time COVID has disrupted inflight services in Pakistani flights. During an infection surge in March last year, the CAA had decided to ban the serving of drinking water on domestic flights. Passengers were provided with disposable water bottles placed on their seats before boarding.

PIA 777-200ER
An investigation discovered that around 30% of Pakistan's commercial pilots had license discrepancies. Photo: Getty Images

International flights not affected

Pakistan's inflight meal ban does not extend to international flights because of the longer duration of the flights. While many of its long-haul flights to Europe and the US have not yet resumed, the situation is likely to change in the coming months.

The ICAO completed its audit recently, and a letter officially declaring the satisfactory results was signed earlier this month. This paves the way for Pakistani airlines to initiate a return to Europe and the US after nearly a year and a half.

Are you scheduled to fly domestically within Pakistan anytime soon? What are your views on the SOPs to contain the infection in the country? Do share your comments below.