Air travel faced massive disruption on Friday as heavy rains and a thunderstorm alert in Islamabad, coupled with administrative issues, led to the cancellation of eight flights and delays in 34 others, affecting schedules across the country.Authorities issued a thunderstorm alert for flights in Islamabad after heavy rains struck the capital. Four Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights between Islamabad and Gilgit — PK601, PK602, PK603, and PK604 — were cancelled.

Other cancelled flights included Islamabad–Sukkur flight PK632, Sukkur–Karachi PK636, as well as two PIA flights between Karachi and Turbat (PK501 and PK502).  Flight delays ranged from one to nine hours, disrupting passengers’ travel plans nationwide. Karachi–Islamabad flights PK300 and PK301 were delayed by one and a half hours.  Islamabad private airline flight PA201 faced a major delay of nine hours.   

Five flights between Karachi and Islamabad were delayed by one to nine hours.  Five flights from Karachi Airport were delayed by one to four hours.Lahore Airport was among the worst affected, with 19 flights delayed between one and 10 hours. A private airline’s Lahore–Abu Dhabi flight PA430 was delayed by as long as 10 hours. Meanwhile, four flights of private airlines between Karachi and Lahore were also delayed by one and a half to four hours, further compounding disruptions for domestic and international travellers.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)