Fog Creates Chaos for Flights on Airports

APP
Islamabad: The thick fog created chaos for both international and domestic flights in Pakistan on Wednesday, leading to widespread disruptions and delays at multiple airports nationwide.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) reported a series of diversions, cancellations, and delays affecting both incoming and outgoing flights.
According to a CAA spokesperson, challenging weather conditions forced the diversion of SIF-743 from Dammam to Lahore to Karachi, and several other flights faced delays and cancellations. The severity of the dense fog, causing visibility issues, resulted in the diversion of Sharjah Lahore to Karachi and a cascade of delays, with flights experiencing extended wait times.
Lahore Allama Iqbal International Airport experienced a significant drop in visibility to only 100 meters, posing operational challenges. However, there is some optimism as the forecast predicts an anticipated increase in visibility to 350 meters for a two-hour period.
International flights were not exempt from disruptions, with Gulf Air 784 from Bahrain to Peshawar and Qatar Airways QR600 from Doha to Peshawar facing delays.
Air Arabia’s flights from Sharjah, Dubai, and Ras Al Khaimah to Peshawar, as well as Fly Jinnah’s route from Karachi to Peshawar, all encountered delays due to adverse weather conditions.
In Peshawar, a domino effect of delays affected various flights, including those from Gulf Air, Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Air Arabia, connecting destinations like Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, and Ras Al Khaimah. Fly Jinnah’s route from Peshawar to Karachi also experienced delays.
The situation worsened with several flights facing cancellations, such as PK 222/231 from Dubai to Multan and Karachi, and PK 330/221 from Karachi to Multan and Dubai. This left passengers stranded and forced to rearrange their travel plans.
The ripple effect continued with Air Arabia’s flight G 9-558/559 from Sharjah to Multan and back, experiencing delays. Additionally, Air Arabia Abu Dhabi’s 3L-335/336 route from Abu Dhabi to Multan.
As dense fog persists across various airports in Pakistan, travelers are dealing with the consequences of disrupted flight schedules.
Potential delays, diversions, and cancellations have become the unfortunate norm, underscoring the importance for passengers to stay informed and check for updates before embarking on their journeys.
Aviation authorities are diligently working to address the challenges posed by the weather conditions, with the aim of restoring normalcy to air travel as quickly as possible.