Says it is partially restoring flight operations on some routes connecting Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi to Dubai and Gulf countries
Pakistan has fully restored its flight operations to Saudi Arabia and partially resumed its flights to Dubai amid widespread disruptions caused by the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, the state said. Radio Pakistan reported Friday.
Tensions in the Middle East have sharply escalated after US and Israeli airstrikes assassinated Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior officials last week, triggering a wave of retaliation from Tehran and widening the conflict across the region. In response to these strikes, Iran launched retaliation against US military bases in several Gulf countries, significantly expanding the scope of the confrontation.
The situation has pushed several countries to close their airspace.
Citing aeronautical sources, Radio Pakistan reported today: “Flight operations have been partially restored on some routes from Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi to Gulf countries. Full flight operations have been restored for Saudi Arabia and partial flight operations for Dubai.
Read: 578 flights canceled in 5 days amid tensions in the Middle East
Pakistan’s international airports have seen numerous cancellations due to ongoing regional tensions in the Gulf. More than 570 flights to Gulf countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, have been canceled since February 28.
Affected carriers included Emirates, Etihad Airways, Air Arabia, Pakistan International Airlines, Airblue, Flydubai and Qatar Airways.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday said the government has taken comprehensive measures to help Pakistanis stranded in Iran and other Gulf countries.
He said special facilitation offices had been established to help returning Pakistani nationals. The Pakistani embassy in Abu Dhabi and consulates in Jeddah and Dubai are actively assisting Pakistani nationals, while similar arrangements have also been put in place in Tehran, Zahedan and Mashhad.
Officials said disruptions and airspace closures in several Gulf countries had caused Pakistan an estimated revenue shortfall of 20 billion rupees.
Globally, the crisis has led to large-scale disruptions in air travel. Although governments and airlines organized special flights to evacuate travelers stranded in the region, more than 13,000 flights were canceled internationally.
Flights in the region account for around 900,000 seats each day, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium, indicating the number of affected travelers could already exceed one million.
