The Pakistan government has imposed a 100,000 PKR fine on Qatar Airways for violating the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) enforced against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aviation Division spokesman Abdul Sattar Khokhar in a statement on Friday said the government had taken serious notice of the violation which had put the health and safety of the passengers as well as personnel working at the airport at risk, reports Dawn news.

He said the fine was imposed by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

The airline shall also be responsible for all expenses incurred on the testing of COVID-19 and quarantine of the passengers and the staff, Khokhar added.

He said that one of the passengers with a positive COVID-19 test report had travelled on the Qatar Airways flight to Islamabad.

The CAA has already directed the airlines operating flights to and from Pakistan to ensure compliance with the SOPs that have been devised and implemented to protect passengers from contracting the virus.

(IANS)