Commercial air routes will remain closed daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. between March 3 and 31.
Instead of following the international competitive bidding process, the government decided to directly send out tenders to the top 25 companies. PHOTO: REUTERS
The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) on Monday decided to suspend certain flight routes in the Flight Information Regions (FIR) of Karachi and Lahore for specified hours, citing the developing regional situation.
Due to the regional conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States, like other countries, Pakistan’s air operations in the Middle East have been severely disrupted.
Besides passengers, air cargo services were also suspended, disrupting the transportation of various goods including food and other supplies. It is still unclear when flights will resume.
According to a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued today by the PAA, the decision was taken in view of the changing circumstances in the region and involves the temporary closure of designated air routes at different times.
Under the plan, commercial air routes within the Karachi and Lahore FIRs will remain closed daily from 9am to 3pm between March 3 and 31.
During these hours, the affected airspace will not be available for commercial operations.
He said the measure may have been taken due to internal technical requirements and unavoidable operational considerations.
Learn more: US-Iran conflict disrupts thousands of flights as travel chaos worsens
According to PAA data, more than 500 flights to and from various airports in Pakistan have been canceled. The suspension of air cargo services has also disrupted the delivery of food and other goods, causing difficulties not only for passengers but also for manufacturers.
Flights from Pakistani airports including Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Faisalabad and Multan operated by PIA, private airlines and foreign carriers to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Sharjah, Dubai, Turkey, Iraq, Iran and other countries have been cancelled.
Airport sources said some airspaces were closed, leading to the suspension of operations. Currently, there is no information on when flights will resume. Only flights to and from Saudi Arabia continue.
If the situation persists or worsens, flight operations could face further disruptions. According to Khawaja Ayub Naseem, a senior officer of the Association of Travel Agents, fear and uncertainty are also making many Umrah pilgrims hesitant to travel.
Hundreds of pilgrims had booked their tickets through Dubai. Although ticket refunds are possible, hotel reservations are non-refundable. If the situation continues, travel agents could face losses amounting to millions of rupees.
Although Pakistan’s airspace remains fully available and secure, airlines have adjusted their operations in response to the evolving security situation and restrictions in neighboring airspace.
Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport saw extraordinary activity over the weekend, with dozens of foreign airline flights diverted to Karachi, creating scenes reminiscent of the 1990 Gulf Crisis.
