Commercial flights will remain closed daily from 9am to 3pm between March 3 and March 31
Instead of following the international bidding process, the government decided to send requests for proposal documents directly to the top 25 companies. PHOTO: REUTERS
The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) on Monday decided to suspend certain flight routes within the Karachi and Lahore Flight Information Regions (FIR) during certain hours, citing the evolving regional situation.
Due to the regional conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States, in common with other countries, air operations from Pakistan to the Middle East have been severely disrupted.
Along with passengers, air cargo services have also been suspended, halting the transportation of various goods, including food and other supplies. It is still unclear when flights will resume.
According to a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued by the PAA today, the decision was made in light of changed circumstances in the region and involves the temporary closure of designated air routes at various times.
According to the plan, commercial flight routes within Karachi and Lahore FIRs will remain closed daily from 9 am to 3 pm between March 3 and March 31.
During these hours, the affected airspace will not be available for commercial operations.
It said the measure may have been taken due to internal technical requirements and unavoidable operational considerations.
Read more: The US-Iran conflict disrupts thousands of flights as travel chaos deepens
According to PAA data, more than 500 flights departing from and arriving at various airports in Pakistan have been cancelled. The suspension of air cargo services has also disrupted the delivery of food and other goods, causing hardship not only to passengers but also to industrialists.
Flights from Pakistani airports including Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Faisalabad and Multan operated by PIA, private airlines and foreign carriers to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Sharjah, Dubai, Turkey, Iraq, Iran and other countries have been cancelled.
Airport sources said some airspace has been closed, leading to suspension of operations. At this time there is no information on when flights will resume. Only flights to and from Saudi Arabia continue.
If the situation continues or worsens, air operations may be subject to further disruption. According to Khawaja Ayub Naseem, a senior executive of the Travel Agents Association, fear and uncertainty also make many Umrah pilgrims hesitate to travel.
Hundreds of pilgrims had booked tickets via Dubai. Although ticket refunds are possible, hotel reservations are non-refundable. If the situation continues, travel agencies may face losses of millions of rupees.
While Pakistan’s airspace remains fully accessible and safe, airlines have adjusted operations in response to the evolving security situation and restrictions in adjacent airspace.
Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport saw extraordinary activity over the weekend, with dozens of flights from foreign airlines diverted to Karachi, creating scenes reminiscent of the 1990 Gulf crisis.
