A series of flight cancellations and delays have caused significant disruptions to air travel from Karachi and Lahore airports, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded and creating a ripple effect on international and domestic routes.
In Karachi, 17 flights operated by various airlines have been cancelled in the past 24 hours. Among the affected were both foreign and domestic airlines.
Five flights of international carriers, including routes to Baku, Baghdad, Muscat, Colombo, and Doha, were cancelled due to a combination of factors, including a shortage of planes with private airlines and low passenger load. Among the cancelled flights were:
- Flight 410 of a foreign airline to Baghdad
- Flight 152 to Colombo by another international carrier
- Flight EK 605 to Dubai, operated by a foreign airline
- Flight QR 611 to Doha, also cancelled by an international airline
- PIA flight PK 503 to Gwadar
Private airline services were also hit hard, with multiple domestic routes, including flights from Karachi to Islamabad and Lahore, cancelled. These included:
- Private airline ER 500 to Islamabad
- Private airline PF 143 to Lahore
- Private airline ER 522 to Lahore
- Private airline flight PF 125 to Islamabad
Several other private carriers have faced cancellations due to low passenger numbers, as travellers look for alternative routes.
Airport officials stated that the ongoing smog issues in Lahore and other parts of Punjab had caused a brief disruption to flight operations, but the weather conditions had improved, leading to smoother operations in some regions.
In Lahore, the situation was equally grim, with multiple flights either cancelled or delayed. Fly Jinnah flight 500, traveling from Lahore to Sharjah, was cancelled, while AirSial flight PF 716 to Jeddah faced a staggering 13-hour delay, now scheduled to depart at 10 p.m.
Similarly, Serene Air flight ER 812 to Jeddah is now set to depart six hours late at 2 p.m.
Other delays included AirSial flight PF 142 from Lahore to Karachi, which will now depart three hours late, at 1 p.m. The reasons behind the delays and cancellations have been attributed to operational constraints, but airport officials are working to ensure that remaining flights operate smoothly.
