For Pakistani students studying in China, a one-way ticket now costs nearly Rs. 500,000 thanks to an exponential increase in price by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
According to reports in the media, other airlines have also increased their costs, which now range from Rs. 500,000 to Rs. 800,000 for a one-way travel. This has an especially negative impact on students.
According to reports, the increase is due to China’s ongoing coronavirus restrictions. The problem affecting Pakistani students has gained widespread attention in the nation’s mainstream media and on social media. The impacted pupils have also created the popular Twitter hashtag #PIALootingPakStudents.
A five-hour direct journey on a Boeing 777 from Pakistan to China costs about Rs. 550,000, but the same flight from China to Pakistan costs Rs. 130,000, according to Dr. Asmat Malik, a member of the Pak-China Student Council.
She asked the Minister of Aviation, Khawaja Saad Rafique, and PIA’s CEO, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Amir Hayat, for an explanation for such disparities in ticket prices.
Remember that before the pandemic, the cost of a one-way ticket to China ranged from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 70,000, thus this enormous price increase has distressed both the students and their parents.
