Heavy rain and administrative challenges have caused significant delays in the arrival and departure of over 30 flights across Pakistan, disrupting schedules at major airports such as Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore.
One notable delay involved a foreign airline’s flight SV-701 from Jeddah, which was delayed by two and a half hours. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) also faced multiple delays, including PK-302 from Karachi to Lahore, which was delayed by two hours, and PK-300 from Islamabad to Karachi, which was scheduled to depart at 11 am but was delayed by the same duration.
International flights were also affected. The Karachi-Istanbul flight TK-709 was delayed by three hours and is now rescheduled to depart at 9 am. PIA’s PK-744 from Madinah experienced a four-hour delay, affecting passengers returning to Karachi.
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The PIA flight PK-768 from Jeddah to Quetta arrived an hour and 15 minutes late, while PK-715 from Multan to Madinah is now set to depart at 12 noon, after a four-hour delay. Similarly, the Dubai-Islamabad flight PK-134 is delayed by three hours.
Other international flights arriving in Islamabad from Sharjah, Dammam, Muscat, and Dubai also experienced delays. Passengers on PK-713 from Islamabad to Madinah will now depart six hours later at 10 am. Further delays were reported for flights from Islamabad to Istanbul, Jeddah, Muscat, and Dubai.
PIA’s domestic routes were equally disrupted. The Islamabad-Skardu flight PK-451 is now scheduled to depart at 10 am, a two-and-a-half-hour delay. The Islamabad-Riyadh flight SV-725 is now set to depart at 1:40 pm, a four-hour delay. Additionally, the Islamabad-Quetta flight PK-325 will now depart two and a half hours later at 4:30 pm, while the Islamabad-Karachi flight PK-369 will leave at 6 pm, two hours behind schedule.
These widespread flight delays have caused significant inconvenience to travellers, many of whom expressed frustration over the lack of timely communication and the impact on their travel plans. Authorities have yet to issue an official statement addressing these ongoing issues.
