Heavy rain and administrative challenges have resulted in significant delays in the arrival and departure of over 30 flights across Pakistan.
Passengers faced considerable disruptions as flight schedules were impacted at various airports, including Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore.
A notable delay occurred with a foreign airline's flight SV-701 from Jeddah, which was held up for two and a half hours. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) also reported multiple delays, including PK-302 from Karachi to Lahore, which was delayed by two hours. Another PIA flight, PK-300 from Islamabad to Karachi, was scheduled to depart at 11am, experiencing a delay of the same duration.
International flights were not spared, with the Karachi-Istanbul flight TK-709 delayed by three hours, now rescheduled to depart at 9am. Additionally, PIA's PK-744 from Madinah was delayed by four hours, affecting travellers returning to Karachi.
The PIA flight PK-768 from Jeddah to Quetta arrived an hour and 15 minutes late. Meanwhile, PK-715 from Multan to Madinah will now depart at 12 noon, after a delay of four hours. Similarly, the Dubai-Islamabad flight PK-134 is delayed by three hours.
Other international flights arriving in Islamabad from Sharjah, Dammam, Muscat, and Dubai also experienced delays. Passengers on PK-713 from Islamabad to Madinah are now expected to depart six hours later at 10am. Delays were further reported for flights from Islamabad to Istanbul, Jeddah, Muscat, and Dubai.
PIA's domestic routes were equally affected. The Islamabad-Skardu flight PK-451 is now scheduled to depart at 10am, a two-and-a-half-hour delay. The Islamabad-Riyadh flight SV-725 will now depart at 1:40pm, a delay of four hours. Additionally, the Islamabad-Quetta flight PK-325 will leave two and a half hours later at 4:30pm, while the Islamabad-Karachi flight PK-369 will depart at 6pm, two hours behind schedule.
The widespread flight delays have caused significant inconvenience to travellers, with many expressing frustration over the lack of timely communication and the impact on their travel plans. Authorities have yet to provide an official statement addressing the ongoing issues.
