Flight operations hit as Middle East tensions disrupt routes

Escalating conflict in the Middle East has disrupted air travel, forcing airlines to cancel dozens of flights and straining operations. Flight operations were severely affected on Saturday, with the highest number of disruptions reported at Karachi Airport, airport officials said. A total of 56 two-way flights to various Middle Eastern destinations were cancelled today from five international airports across the country. The cancellations include flights operated by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Airblue, Air Arabia, Iran Air and Qatar Airways, among other airlines. At Karachi Airport, 20 two-way flights were cancelled to and from destinations including Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Jeddah, Dammam, Sharjah, Madinah, Muscat, Riyadh, Najaf, Bahrain and Dubai. Read: More flights cancelled amid ME crisis At Islamabad Airport, 20 two-way flights were also cancelled, covering routes to Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bahrain, Riyadh, Dammam and Doha. At Lahore Airport, six two-way flights on Middle Eastern routes were cancelled, including sectors to Abu Dhabi and Dubai. At Peshawar Airport, eight two-way flights were cancelled on routes to Dubai, Doha, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. At Multan Airport, two two-way flights to Dubai were cancelled. Airport sources further stated that the total number of cancelled flights between Pakistan and the Middle East has reached 2,706 over the past 35 days. Read more: PIA restarts Islamabad-London service with inaugural flight Last week, PIA resumed its London flight operations after a gap of six years, restoring a long-standing route between Pakistan and the United Kingdom. The airline’s first flight, PK-785, departed from Islamabad to London carrying 325 passengers. The flight was seen off by Defence Secretary Lieutenant General (retd) Muhammad Ali and British High Commissioner Jane Marriott.