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A file photo of Islamabad International Airport. PHOTO: AFP
ISLAMABAD/KARACHI:
The Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA) has said flight operations at Islamabad airport will be suspended for two hours on March 17 (tomorrow) instead of March 16 (today).
Earlier in the day, the Authority said its previous notice to airmen (Notam) about the brief suspension of flight operations at Islamabad airport on March 16 was cancelled.
“The earlier Notam regarding temporary airspace restrictions in the Lahore flight information region (FIR) and suspension of flight operations at Islamabad International Airport on 16 March (08:30am – 10:30am PKT) has been cancelled,” the PAA stated on X.
“Normal operations will continue,” it clarified.
Later, the PAA in a Notam said arrival and departure operations at the Islamabad airport would remain closed from 08:30am to 10:30am PKT on March 17 instead.
It cited “operational reasons” and advised arriving aircraft to “bring sufficient holding fuel to cater for delay”.
These developments came amid the regional conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States, which has left air operations in many countries, including Pakistan, severely disrupted. Along with commercial flights, air cargo services were also suspended.
Flights cancelled
Around 80 flights to Gulf destinations were cancelled on Sunday, taking the total number of cancelled flights to 1,576 over the past 16 days, sources said.
According to aviation sources, flight operations from Pakistan to the Middle East continue to face disruptions due to the evolving situation in the region.
On Sunday, 80 flights scheduled to depart from country’s international airports for various Middle Eastern destinations had to be cancelled. The highest number of cancellations was reported at Karachi airport, where around 26 flights could not depart.
The cancelled flights from Karachi were bound for destinations including Doha, Kuwait and Bahrain, among other Middle Eastern cities.
Meanwhile, 18 flights were cancelled at Islamabad airport and another 18 at Lahore airport, while 14 flights were cancelled from Peshawar and four from Multan, sources said.
However, international flight operations from Sialkot and Faisalabad airports continued as normal.
