RAWALPINDI: Beginning January 2020, Pakistani nationals traveling overseas on a visitation visa—especially to Dubai, Bangkok, and Malaysia—must have a round-trip ticket on the same airline.
Documents state that travelers with a “low profile” must be checked at airports and that the PNR number for separate airline tickets must match.
The Federal Aviation Authority and the Federal Investigation Agency corresponded that the decision was made in response to instances when customers were refused boarding if they had return tickets with a different airline or had different PNRs for their itinerary.
Concerningly, the FIA reported that a considerable number of “low-profile passengers” were using separate ticket numbers, even on the same PNR, to travel to Malaysia and Thailand.
In the event that travelers face deportation or entrance refusal, this permitted certain travel agencies to “refund the return ticket, leaving passengers in a distressed situation.” After paying the travel agencies in full, the passengers are then required to pay the airline.
In order to prevent such travelers from being exploited by certain travel brokers and to safeguard their rights, the FIA suggested that boarding cards only be given to individuals who share the same ticket number.
According to a letter from the CAA, airlines that operate in states where border control laws mandate a return ticket on the same airline would be subject to this procedure. Other airlines may go on selling tickets normally if their state of registry does not impose such restrictions.
Regarding this, letters from the FIA and CAA have been sent to all local and international airlines.
