Islamabad Airport hit by delays as rain impacts flight operations

Heavy rainfall and adverse weather conditions on Thursday morning caused major disruptions to flight operations at Islamabad Airport, affecting several international and domestic flights.

According to aviation sources, three international flights could not land in Islamabad and were diverted to Lahore, while over 20 other flights faced delays.

Due to the weather, flights from Kuwait, Sharjah, and Jeddah, operated by private airlines and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), were redirected to Lahore.

While PIA arranged alternative transport for passengers to Islamabad, two of the diverted flights later took off from Lahore to reach their original destination.

Flights arriving from Abu Dhabi, Dammam, and Al Qasim and 15 flights departing Islamabad to various destinations, including Dubai, Jeddah, Abu Dhabi, Istanbul, Bahrain, Gilgit, and Skardu, were delayed. Flight schedules were significantly impacted, with some services delayed up to eight hours.

The flight schedule indicates that the Islamabad-Beijing flight will depart 2.5 hours later than scheduled, at 7:30 p.m., while the Islamabad-Dubai flight will leave eight hours late, at 9:30 p.m.

Bad weather also led to the cancellation of two flights from Multan to Sharjah. Operational issues caused further delays, with a private airline’s flight from Lahore to Sharjah delayed by nine hours, another from Lahore to Karachi delayed by three hours, and a flight from Peshawar to Abu Dhabi delayed by seven hours, now expected to depart at 6:00 p.m.

The unpredictable weather continues to affect air travel, and passengers are advised to check with airlines for updates.