Lahore:
Air operations in Pakistan were very limited as a result of India drone attacks, resulting in the cancellation and delays of many national and international flights, causing significant disadvantages to passengers, according to airport sources.
About 450 flights to and from Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi and other major airports have been affected. These include thefts for hajj pilgrims as well as those towards Dubai, Doha, Sharjah, Kuala Lumpur, Madina, Riyadh, Turkey, Canada, Europe, Abu Dhabi and other destinations.
Until now, around 150 flights have been canceled.
The sudden and repeated closure and the reopening of the airspace in Lahore, Sialkot, Islamabad, Multan and Karachi by Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) have created serious challenges for thousands of passengers, with national and international airlines forced to reproduce dozens of flights.
Allama IQBAL ALORTOR ALORTOR DE LAHORE, which manages more than 50 flights per day, has seen 80% of its affected operations. PAA, PIA and other airlines have urged passengers to check their flight schedules before going to the airport.
Repeated airspace closures were particularly annoying for hajj pilgrims, who are often seen pending for hours in Ihram at the airport, when or if they leave.
The situation also had an impact on airport staff, including those belonging to the FIA, the PAA, customs and others, which were taken in a sudden call cycle – at home after the suspensions to be recalled when operations unexpected.
For the moment, there is no clarity over the duration of this disturbance.
In a statement published on Friday, the spokesman for the Ministry of Religious Affairs said that between May 7 and 9, the Hajj flight schedules had been assigned.
During this three -day period, 4 Hajj flights were canceled and 9 others were delayed. Two flights each by the Saudi airlines of Islamabad and Lahore were canceled. Three flights from Lahore, two each of Islamabad and Quetta, and one from Multan and Karachi have undergone delays. Following temporary flight suspensions, the schedules of 3,080 pilgrims were disrupted. Most affected flights left with pilgrims after short delays.
Due to the cancellations, 345 pilgrims who have been left behind have now been transported to Islamabad on a special PIA flight. 540 Other pilgrims will be transported via special flights from Islamabad and Lahore.
Meanwhile, the website of the flight survey of Lahore airport dropped on Friday. Consequently, passengers had difficulty checking the flight schedules. (With the contribution of our correspondents to Islamabad)
