LAHORE:
The ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States has severely disrupted global air travel, with aviation sources saying the sudden escalation has dealt a major blow to the aviation industry and forced the cancellation of tens of thousands of flights worldwide.
According to aviation officials, more than 24,000 flights operated by hundreds of airlines across the world, including Pakistan, have been cancelled during the past six days, leaving millions of passengers stranded at airports and forcing carriers to repeatedly revise their schedules.
Industry sources said the crisis has already inflicted billions of rupees in losses on the aviation sector, particularly through landing and take-off charges as well as other airport-related taxes.
Airport authorities said flight disruptions continued on Tuesday, with 144 flights cancelled from airports across Pakistan, including Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport. Despite the widespread cancellations, four flights departed from Lahore for Saudi Arabia, airport sources confirmed.
Officials also noted a decline in the number of Umrah pilgrims travelling from Pakistan following the outbreak of hostilities between Iran and the United States, as uncertainty over regional airspace and flight schedules discourages travel.
The conflict has also resulted in several international aircraft being stranded at Pakistani airports after landing but failing to depart due to operational disruptions.
Airport sources said three aircraft belonging to different countries remained parked at various airports across Pakistan, including planes operated by Qatar Airways, Iran Air and Gulf Air.
According to officials, the Qatar Airways aircraft remained at Karachi airport, while an Iranian aircraft was parked at Lahore airport and a Gulf Air plane stayed at Islamabad airport after landing.
Passengers of these flights were eventually transported to their destinations through alternative flight arrangements.
