News
Monday, April 19, 2010
Gilani’s EU visit called off due to air transport chaosISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s visit to France, Brussels and Spain has been called-off due to the air transport chaos caused by the Icelandic volcano, his office said on Sunday.
According to a press release, the visit will be rescheduled at an appropriate time in consultation with the EU Secretariat and the governments of France and Spain.
The prime minister was supposed to leave on Monday for a bilateral visit to France followed by a Pakistan-EU Summit in Brussels. The bilateral visit to Spain was the last stop before returning to Islamabad.
Separately, Gilani directed the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) managing director that as soon as the flights to Europe and the US were resumed, first preference should be given to Pakistani students and those working in various foreign firms abroad.
The students, the prime minister said, have to join their educational institutions, while those working in foreign firms could lose their jobs if they did not report to their offices on time.
Sultan Hasan, a spokesman for PIA said that 10 PIA flights to Europe and the US were cancelled on Sunday.
“So far, a total of 42 flights have been cancelled because of this situation and have affected around 6,000 passengers,” he added. staff report/app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk