KARACHI: Pakistan has resumed flight operations to the Gulf region following the reopening of airspace over Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain, according to aviation sources on Tuesday.
The suspension of operations by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) had occurred late Monday night due to escalating tensions in the Gulf, forcing a temporary halt on Gulf-bound flights.
While PIA has now restored its services, passengers are still facing delays ranging from five to thirteen hours, as per the updated flight schedules. A total of 32 flights from airports in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, and other cities have been cancelled, including 14 Qatar Airways flights.
In addition to cancellations, 55 flights, both arrivals and departures, have been delayed across multiple airports in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, and other cities. Some flights were diverted to alternate airports as the situation in the Gulf worsened, though Saudi Arabia and the UAE did not close their airspace during the incident.
Flights were gradually restored, with Bahrain and Kuwait resuming operations earlier, followed by Qatar’s reopening later in the night. This allowed for the partial resumption of air traffic.
Among the affected flights, several outbound flights from Karachi to destinations like Jeddah, Doha, and Istanbul were cancelled, along with flights from Lahore to Sharjah, Muscat, and Riyadh. Several flights operated by Qatar Airways were also affected, including cancellations from Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Sialkot.
The delays continue to impact multiple routes, with PIA flight PK 747 from Lahore to Madinah delayed by 13 hours, and Qatar Airways flight QR 621 from Doha to Karachi delayed by 10 hours. Other flights, such as PK 233 from Islamabad to Dubai, face delays of up to 15 hours.
Aviation authorities also reported that two incoming flights from Bahrain to Islamabad were delayed by four hours.
