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ISLAMABAD:
Air travel to and from Pakistan remained heavily disrupted for the fifth consecutive day due to airspace closures linked to tensions and hostilities involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
Since February 28, Pakistani and foreign airlines have been forced to cancel 578 flights due to the closure of airspace in several Gulf countries, resulting in a revenue loss of Rs20 billion.
According to airport sources, 162 flights to Middle Eastern destinations were canceled from Pakistan’s international airports on Wednesday alone. These included flights from Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Multan, Sialkot and Faisalabad to destinations including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Sharjah, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jeddah, Al Ain, Najaf and Ras Al Khaimah.
From Karachi Airport, 40 flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Sharjah, Kuwait and Bahrain were canceled, while 38 flights were canceled from Islamabad to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Bahrain, Kuwait and Sharjah.
Lahore Airport reported the cancellation of 28 flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Kuwait and Bahrain. From Peshawar, 24 flights to Dubai, Sharjah, Doha and Abu Dhabi were canceled.
Eighteen flights from Multan to Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Bahrain, Doha and Kuwait were also affected. Eight flights were canceled from Sialkot and six from Faisalabad. The canceled flights included those operated by Emirates, Etihad, Air Arabia, PIA, Airblue, Flydubai, Qatar Airways and Fly Jinnah.
Airport sources said the total number of canceled flights between Pakistan and Middle East countries reached 578 in the last five days.
Since February 28, airlines have been forced to cancel flights due to the closure of airspace in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iran and several other countries.
At Islamabad International Airport alone, around 180 flights were canceled in the last five days. Several arrivals and departures were canceled on Wednesday, including flights to and from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, London, Bahrain, Doha and Sharjah. Flights to Al Ain and Najaf were also canceled.
Due to restricted airspace, several flights to Gilgit, Skardu and Karachi have also been suspended. In total, between 35 and 40 return flights are canceled daily from Islamabad airport.
PIA has limited the use of A320 aircraft due to airspace restrictions, while alternative routes are operated using Boeing 777 aircraft.
All airlines have advised passengers to confirm their flights via hotlines before traveling to airports. Industry sources said the airline sector suffered losses running into millions of dollars due to flight cancellations and prolonged disruptions.
