Commercial flight routes will be closed every day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. between March 3 and 31.
Instead of following the international competitive bidding process, the government decided to directly send requests for proposal documents to the top 25 companies. PHOTO: REUTERS
The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) on Monday decided to suspend certain air routes within the Karachi and Lahore Flight Information Regions (FIR) during specific hours, citing the evolving regional situation.
Due to the regional conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States, like other countries, air operations from Pakistan to the Middle East have been severely disrupted.
In addition to passengers, air cargo services have also been suspended, paralyzing the transportation of various goods, including food and other supplies. It is not yet clear when flights will resume.
According to a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued today by the PAA, the decision was made in view of the changing circumstances in the region and involves the temporary closure of designated air routes at different times.
As per 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.
He said the measure may have been taken due to internal technical requirements and unavoidable operational considerations.
Read more: US-Iran conflict disrupts thousands of flights as travel chaos deepens
According to PAA data, more than 500 flights departing 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 difficulties not only for passengers but also for industrialists.
Flights from Pakistani airports, including Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Faisalabad and Multan, operated by PIA, private airlines and foreign companies to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Sharjah, Dubai, Turkey, Iraq, Iran and other countries have been cancelled.
Airport sources stated that some airspaces are closed, which has caused the suspension of operations. Currently, there is no information on when flights will resume. Only flights to and from Saudi Arabia continue.
If the situation persists or worsens, air operations may face further disruption. According to Khawaja Ayub Naseem, senior leader of the Travel Agents Association, fear and uncertainty are also causing many Umrah pilgrims to hesitate to travel.
Hundreds of pilgrims had booked tickets via Dubai. While ticket refunds are possible, hotel reservations are non-refundable. If the situation continues, travel agencies could face losses of crores of rupees.
While Pakistani airspace remains fully available and safe, airlines have adjusted their operations in response to the evolving security situation and restrictions in neighboring airspace.
Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport witnessed extraordinary activity over the weekend, with dozens of foreign airline flights diverted to Karachi, creating scenes reminiscent of the 1990 Gulf crisis.
