Gwadar airport closed for four days due to severe weather

LAHORE: Gwadar Airport has been closed for four days due to heavy rains, snowfall, and adverse weather conditions across various parts of the country, resulting in the cancellation of eight flights from Islamabad Airport.

Flight operations at Gwadar Airport have been halted due to the flood situation. Airlines have been duly notified about the temporary closure of Gwadar Airport through a new notice announcing the suspension of flight operations.Among the cancelled flights are PK 601, 602, 605, and 606 from Islamabad to Gilgit, PK 451 and 452 from Islamabad to Skardu, and PK 325 and 326 from Islamabad to Quetta. Additionally, PIA flight PK 168, originally scheduled from Al Qasim to Islamabad, departed from Lahore and later proceeded to Islamabad when the weather cleared. Furthermore, Dubai to Lahore flight PK 264 made an emergency landing in Karachi, with passengers subsequently transported from Karachi to Lahore via another aircraft. Delays affected over two dozen flights from Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, and other airports. Another aircraft, acquired from Jakarta, has been added to the PIA fleet, facilitating the operation of four flights between Lahore and Karachi. An Airbus aircraft, acquired in December 2023, is already operational within the PIA fleet.

On February 7, the aircraft registered as AP-BLY, upon its arrival in Pakistan, completed its registration process at Karachi Airport. This aircraft conducted four flights, PK 264, 303, 304, and 305, between Karachi and Lahore on Saturday. PIA currently operates a fleet of 17 active Airbus A321 aircraft.