Pak aviation sector suffers Rs20b loss so far

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 closures in several Gulf countries, causing a loss of Rs20 billion in revenue shortfall.

According to airport sources, 162 flights to Middle Eastern destinations were cancelled from Pakistan's international airports 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 38 flights were cancelled from Islamabad to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Bahrain, Kuwait and Sharjah.

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 were cancelled from Sialkot and six from Faisalabad. Cancelled flights included those operated by Emirates, Etihad, Air Arabia, PIA, Airblue, Flydubai, Qatar Airways and Fly Jinnah.

Airport sources said the total number of cancelled flights between Pakistan and Middle Eastern countries had reached 578 over the past five days.

Since February 28, airlines have been forced to cancel flights due to airspace closures in the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iran and several other countries.

At Islamabad International Airport alone, around 180 flights were cancelled over the past five days. Several arrivals and departures were cancelled 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 restricted airspace, several flights to Gilgit, Skardu and Karachi were also suspended. Overall, between 35 and 40 two-way flights are being cancelled daily from Islamabad airport.

PIA has limited the use of A320 aircraft due to airspace restrictions, while alternative routes are being operated using Boeing 777 aircraft.

All airlines have advised passengers to confirm their flights through helplines before travelling to airports. Industry sources said the airline sector had suffered losses running into millions of dollars due to flight cancellations and prolonged disruptions.