Flight Schedule Disruption Continues After PTI’s Islamabad Protest, Delays and Cancellations Persist
Islamabad:The ongoing disruption to Pakistan’s flight schedule, caused by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) march to D-Chowk in Islamabad, continued on Wednesday, despite the announcement of the protest’s end. The schedule of domestic and international flights remained significantly impacted, with several flights still canceled or delayed.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the disruption began on Tuesday and carried over into Wednesday, affecting both inbound and outbound flights. On Tuesday, 8 flights were canceled and 17 others were delayed. Among the canceled flights were morning services between Karachi and Islamabad (PK 300 and PK 301), as well as flights from Lahore to Quetta (PK 322 and PK 323).
International flights were also severely impacted, with departures from Dubai to Islamabad (FZ 353 and FZ 354) and Dubai to Lahore (FZ 359 and FZ 360) being called off.
In addition, several flights from Karachi faced delays, including services to Gwadar, Sukkur, and Jeddah. Domestic flights between Karachi and Lahore (PF 141 and PF 142) were also delayed, as was a flight from Karachi to Islamabad (PF 124), which was delayed by three hours and took off at 7:00 PM instead of its scheduled time.
The report also mentioned that flights to Doha, Jeddah, and Multan were impacted, while the arrival of PIA’s flight PK 736 from Jeddah to Peshawar was delayed. Other international services, including flights from Dubai to Islamabad (ER 701) and those from Dubai and Jeddah to Lahore, were also affected, adding to the travel disruptions and increasing passenger inconvenience.
The ongoing issues reflect the lingering impact of PTI’s protest on the country’s transportation infrastructure, with the aviation sector struggling to return to normalcy even after the demonstration had ended. Passengers have continued to face challenges as flight schedules remain irregular, prompting frustration for many travelers.
