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ISLAMABAD:
Air travel to and from Pakistan remained severely disrupted for the fifth consecutive day due to airspace closures linked to tensions and hostilities involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
Since February 28, Pakistani and foreign airlines have been forced to cancel 578 flights due to airspace closure in several Gulf countries, causing a revenue loss of Rs 20 billion.
According to airport sources, 162 flights to Middle East destinations from Pakistan’s international airports were canceled on Wednesday alone. These included flights from Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Multan, Sialkot and Faisalabad to destinations such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Sharjah, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jeddah, Al Ain, Najaf and Ras Al Khaimah.
From Karachi airport, 40 flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Sharjah, Kuwait and Bahrain were cancelled, while from Islamabad, 38 flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Bahrain, Kuwait and Sharjah were cancelled.
Lahore airport reported the cancellation of 28 flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Kuwait and Bahrain. From Peshawar, 24 flights to Dubai, Sharjah, Doha and Abu Dhabi were cancelled.
Eighteen flights from Multan to Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Bahrain, Doha and Kuwait were also affected. Eight flights from Sialkot and six from Faisalabad were cancelled. The canceled flights included those operated by Emirates, Etihad, Air Arabia, PIA, Airblue, Flydubai, Qatar Airways and Fly Jinnah.
Airport sources said the total number of canceled flights between Pakistan and Middle Eastern countries had reached 578 in the last five days.
Since February 28, airlines have been forced to cancel flights due to airspace closures in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iran and several other countries.
At Islamabad International Airport alone, around 180 flights were canceled in the last five days. Several arrivals and departures were canceled on Wednesday, including flights to and from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, London, Bahrain, Doha and Sharjah. Flights to Al Ain and Najaf were also cancelled.
Due to airspace restrictions, several flights to Gilgit, Skardu and Karachi were also suspended. In total, 35 to 40 round-trip flights from Islamabad airport are canceled every day.
PIA has limited the use of A320 aircraft due to airspace restrictions, while alternative routes are operated using Boeing 777 aircraft.
All airlines have advised passengers to confirm their flights through helplines before traveling to airports. Industry sources said the airline sector had suffered millions of dollars in losses due to flight cancellations and prolonged disruptions.
