KARACHI: After a brief suspension, Pakistan has resumed flight operations to Gulf countries, aviation officials confirmed on Tuesday. The decision follows the reopening of airspace over Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain, which had been temporarily closed due to escalating regional tensions.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) had halted its Gulf-bound flights late Monday night as a precaution, but services are now back in motion. However, travelers should brace for major delays, with many flights still facing hold-ups ranging from 5 to 13 hours.
So far, 32 flights have been cancelled, including 14 operated by Qatar Airways, and 55 flights — both departures and arrivals — have been delayed at major airports in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, and other cities.
Although Saudi Arabia and the UAE didn’t close their airspace, the tense situation caused several flights to be rerouted to alternate airports, causing widespread disruption.
Some of the most affected routes include:
- Eight outbound flights from Karachi to Jeddah, Doha, and Istanbul were cancelled.
- Two foreign airline flights to Dubai from Karachi were also scrapped.
- Five flights from Lahore to Sharjah, Muscat, and Riyadh were cancelled.
- Qatar Airways cancelled a total of 10 flights from Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Sialkot.
- Inbound flights to Peshawar and Islamabad from Sharjah, Dubai, and Bahrain were delayed by several hours.
Among the most delayed flights:
- PIA’s PK 747 from Lahore to Madinah was delayed by 13 hours.
- PK 247 from Lahore to Dammam faced a 6.5-hour delay.
- Qatar Airways’ QR 621 to Karachi and Lahore was 10 hours late.
- PIA’s PK 233 from Islamabad to Dubai faced a 15-hour delay.
While normal operations are gradually resuming, authorities advise passengers to check their flight status and stay in touch with their airlines for real-time updates.
