LAHORE:
The ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States has severely disrupted global air travel, with aviation industry sources saying the sudden escalation has dealt a major blow to the aviation industry and forced the cancellation of tens of thousands of flights worldwide.
More than 24,000 flights operated by hundreds of airlines across the world, including Pakistan, have been canceled over the past six days, leaving millions of passengers stranded at airports and forcing carriers to repeatedly revise their schedules, according to aviation officials.
Industry sources said the crisis has already inflicted billions of rupees in losses on the aviation sector, including landing and take-off charges and other airport-related taxes.
Airport authorities said flight disruptions continued on Tuesday, with 144 flights canceled from airports across Pakistan, including Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore. Despite widespread cancellations, four flights departed from Lahore to Saudi Arabia, airport sources confirmed.
Officials also noted a decline in the number of Umrah pilgrims from Pakistan following the outbreak of hostilities between Iran and the United States, with uncertainty over regional airspace and flight schedules discouraging travel.
The conflict also resulted in several international planes being stranded at Pakistani airports after landing, but unable to depart due to operational disruptions.
Airport sources said three planes belonging to different countries remained parked at various airports in Pakistan, including planes operated by Qatar Airways, Iran Air and Gulf Air.
According to officials, the Qatar Airways plane remained at the Karachi airport, while an Iranian plane was parked at the Lahore airport and a Gulf Air plane remained at the Islamabad airport after landing.
Passengers on these flights were ultimately transported to their destinations through alternative flight arrangements.
