Pakistan has resumed air flights to the Gulf after the reopening of Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain airspace, aviation officials confirmed on Monday.
The move came after the temporary halt in operations by national carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) late last night in view of rising tensions in the region.
PIA has resumed its flights to the Gulf; however, officials still anticipate a delay of five to thirteen hours in departures.
Airlines have cancelled a total of 32 flights from Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, and other airports in the country according to the flight schedule, including 14 Qatar Airways flights.
Airline sources further stated that they have deferred 55 flights — both incoming and outgoing — at airports in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, and other cities.
Although Saudi Arabia and the UAE did not close their airspace last night, authorities diverted some flights to other airports because of the worsening situation in the Gulf.
Bahrain and Kuwait resumed operations earlier during the night, then Qatar later during the night, creating an opening for partial restoration of services.
Among the flights affected:
- Eight outgoing flights from Karachi to Jeddah, Doha, and Istanbul were cancelled.
- Two international airlines’ flights from Karachi to Dubai were cancelled.
- Five flights going to Lahore from Sharjah, Muscat, and Riyadh were cancelled.
- Qatar Airways scrapped two flights from Lahore, four from Islamabad, and four from Sialkot and Peshawar.
- Five incoming flights to Abu Dhabi and Peshawar from Sharjah and Dubai were also cancelled.
Major delays are being witnessed on several routes. PIA’s PK 747 Lahore to Madinah flight is delayed by 13 hours, and PK 247 Lahore to Dammam flight is delayed by 6.5 hours.
Qatar Airways’ QR 621 Doha to Karachi and Lahore is delayed by 10 hours. PIA’s PK 233 Islamabad to Dubai is delayed by a whopping 15 hours.
