ISLAMABAD: The closure of Gwadar Airport for four consecutive days due to heavy rainfall, snowfall, and adverse weather conditions in various parts of the country has resulted in the cancellation of eight flights from Islamabad Airport.
Flight operations at Gwadar Airport have been suspended due to flooding, with airlines being informed through a recent notice.
The suspended flights include PK 601, 602, 605, and 606 from Islamabad to Gilgit, PK 451 and 452 from Islamabad to Skardu, and PK 325 and 326 from Islamabad to Quetta. Additionally, PIA flight PK 168, initially bound from Al Qasim to Islamabad, departed from Lahore and later continued to Islamabad when the weather improved.
Moreover, the Dubai to Lahore flight PK 264 made an emergency landing in Karachi, with passengers subsequently transferred from Karachi to Lahore via another aircraft.
Delays have affected more than two dozen flights from Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, and other airports. To ease the situation, an aircraft from Jakarta has been added to the PIA fleet, enabling the operation of four flights between Lahore and Karachi. It’s worth noting that an Airbus aircraft, acquired in December 2023, is already operational within the PIA fleet.
On February 7, the aircraft registered as AP-BLY, after completing its registration process at Karachi Airport upon arrival in Pakistan, conducted four flights, PK 264, 303, 304, and 305, between Karachi and Lahore on Saturday. Currently, PIA operates a fleet of 17 active Airbus A321 aircraft.
(Islamabad51_Newsdesk)