Smoke rises over the skyline of the city of Riyadh, in the midst of the conflict between the United States and Israel with Iran. Photo: Reuters
LAHORE:
Air operations across Pakistan continue to face serious disruptions due to the ongoing conflict between Iran and US-Israel. Thousands of passengers are canceling their travel plans and airlines are suffering huge financial losses, aviation sources said.
More than 90 flights were canceled from airports across the country on Monday, including Allama Iqbal International Airport, amid continued uncertainty in the region.
According to airport sources, more than 110,000 passengers traveling from Pakistan to countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Iran, Iraq and Azerbaijan have requested a refund of their tickets due to the suspension of flights.
In the last 17 days alone, around 1,955 flights from Pakistani airports – including Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Multan, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Peshawar and Quetta – have been cancelled, causing losses worth billions of rupees to domestic and international airlines. Travel agencies have also suffered losses worth millions of rupees.
Data shared with Express News by airlines and travel agencies indicates that the conflict between Iran and the United States has brought the aviation industry to the brink of crisis, with more than 55,000 flights canceled worldwide.
In a related incident, an Emirates flight (EK-623) from Lahore to Dubai was forced to turn back midway due to safety concerns. The plane, with more than 100 passengers on board, landed safely at Lahore airport.
According to representatives of the tourism sector, the crisis has seriously affected travel companies.
Khawaja Ayub Naseem, head of the Travel Agents Association, said travel agents typically earn between Rs 1,000 and Rs 3,000 in service charges for each international ticket. However, the current wave of ticket refunds has wiped out revenue as new bookings have almost ceased.
He added that this period normally sees a surge in travel, with thousands of Pakistani expatriates returning home to celebrate Eidul Fitr with their families and Umrah pilgrims traveling to Mecca, but the suspension of flights has disrupted those plans.
Airport authorities said flights between Pakistan and several Middle East destinations, including Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Iran, Iraq and Azerbaijan, remain suspended, with limited flights operating.
However, flight operations continue for destinations such as Saudi Arabia, Muscat, Europe, Canada, Malaysia, Thailand and Sri Lanka, airport sources added.
