RAWALPINDI: Passengers at major airports across the country continued to suffer on Friday as flight operations remained disrupted due to ongoing tensions with India.
Flights at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport, however, resumed on Friday after a temporary suspension due to operational reasons, according to a spokesman of the Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA).
The authority has issued a NOTAM (notice to airmen) for the cancellation of the previous notice and allowing the flights to operate.
The spokesman added that flight operations at other major airports were continuing smoothly.
Passengers have been advised to contact airlines for updated information regarding their flights before leaving for the airport.
Authorities at the Islamabad International Airport said at least 20 international and domestic flights were cancelled. Separately, 13 to 14 flights were delayed on Friday.
Distressed passengers
Pakistan closed its airspace for hours after India launched missiles into its territory early on Wednesday morning.
The move has agonised hundreds of passengers whose plans have been cancelled or postponed as they could not travel to their destination.
Ahsan Javaid, a professional cricketer, was scheduled to travel to the UK from Islamabad on May 7 to join a cricket team. However, his flight was cancelled due to the closure of airspace.
“I have missed cricket matches due to the delay,” he told Dawn. “It is a big blow for me to miss the matches.”
His flight has now been rescheduled to May 16.
Khalid Jilani, who went to China with his friends to attend the Canton Trade Fair, couldn’t return to Pakistan due to the closure of airspace.
Mr Jilani, a resident of Swat, got stranded in Kuala Lumpur waiting for the flight operation to resume. He was expected to reach Islamabad on Friday.
“Initially, my flight was scheduled for Lahore, but now it is expected for Islamabad,” he told Dawn in a text message.
A Pakistani expatriate who had booked a flight from Dubai to Sialkot on Thursday had to postpone the trip as his flight was canceled. His relative told Dawn that he was issued a boarding pass with an exit stamp at the Dubai airport when he was told the Sialkot flight had been cancelled due to the closure of airspace.
The cancellation left him stranded at the airport for several hours, as he needed a new immigration stamp to leave the Dubai airport since he had already been issued a boarding pass.
Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2025
