Flight cancellations and high costs keep Canadians from getting home from Pakistan and cause anxiety

VANCOUVER-For Naila Waheed, the 14-hour plane ride was the home stretch, the moment she felt like her family had made it back to Canada. But the preceding two weeks of despair and anxiety will stick with her for some time.

Now she's worried about the family she left in Pakistan who are among thousands of Canadians trying to get home but dealing with unreliable flights or even a complete lack of them. If you can find one on Pakistan International Airlines, the price is extreme, she said.

"I know so many people that ended up paying $3,000 per ticket even though they already had a ticket," Waheed said. "They were being told this is a special flight and you have to buy them fresh."

She saw one family at the airport shell out $12,000 to get home. Throughout Pakistan, Canadians there are worried about how to return to Canada as Pakistan remains locked down attempting to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The Canadian consulate helped organize some flights for Canadians, but those still in the country say more are needed.

Waheed spent weeks trying to get home to Milton. The effort included a tense hours-long wait with her husband and 15-month-old daughter at the airport while her flight was continually delayed. All the while, she feared it would be cancelled.

Flights are harder to get due to a pilots strike, now rumoured to be over. But as of Thursday morning the reality of the situation was still unknown to many.

"There's all sorts of stories going on," Waheed said. "I don't even know what the truth is."

Now, at self-isolation at home with her family, she stresses about her parents in-law finding a way back to Canada. Their daily grind of searching for a flight home continues, she said.

"They're just so anxious to get back as well," she said. "They're offering flights for April 20 and onward and the prices are ridiculous - $4,000 per person for one way."

In Karachi, Abdullah Ayaz Mullanee, of Toronto, is waiting for a flight to open so he and his wife can make it home. He and other family members arrived in the country in early March to help sick grandparents.

Mullanee is a mullah who runs an online institute and the slower internet speed where he is prevents him from working much.

He said there are thousands of Canadians on social media in Pakistan trying to figure out how to get home. Among those is one couple he knows expecting a child who made a tough decision to stay and deliver in Pakistan.

"The problem is flights open up and people book them then they get cancelled," he said. "So, it's really risky to book a flight."

Mullanee said the Ottawa should be in talks with Air Canada to try to get flights to Pakistan, and if they won't do that, at least make it clear such flights won't be happening.

Diplomats in the country seem overwhelmed, he said.

He said it's apparent Canada's High Commission in Pakistan are trying to help but said there are thousands of Canadians there and communication is poor.

Mullanee said he fears he'll have thousands in debt to pay off by the time he does get home.

Global Affairs Canada did not reply to an email asking if more flights were to be arranged to bring Canadians back from Pakistan.

In mid-March, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged Canadians to come home as the COVID-19 pandemic gained international momentum. Canadians abroad complained of the difficulties in getting flights back to Canada as airlines cancelled them.

Since then, Canada's consulates abroad have worked to arrange flights to bring thousands of Canadians back to the country, but many have complained of high costs. Ottawa has said it negotiated with Canadian airlines to run the flights at cost.

In Milton, Waheed said she is relieved to be home.

She'd feel better if her family was on their way and wants the Canadian government to help arrange more flights.

"At this point, one or two flights isn't going to cut it," she said. "I'm still worried about them, hoping they'll get back soon. Safely."

Jeremy Nuttall is a Vancouver-based investigative reporter for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @Nuttallreports