Pakistan closes air routes in Karachi, Lahore as more than 500 flights are canceled

LAHORE – The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority has temporarily closed some air routes in Karachi and Lahore because of the ongoing Iran-US conflict. The situation has badly affected flight operations across Pakistan.

According to a NOTAM issued by the authority, the selected air routes will remain closed from March 3 to March 31. The closure will be in effect daily from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. During these hours, no commercial flights will be allowed to use these routes.

In the past three days, more than 500 domestic and international flights have been canceled due to air traffic problems. Thousands of passengers are stuck at different airports and are waiting for updates about their flights.

The Pakistan Airport Authority also confirmed that over 500 flights to and from different airports have been affected. Air cargo services have stopped as well, causing delays in the delivery of important goods like food and other essential items.

Officials say these problems are linked to the closure of airspace in several countries because of the conflict. It is still unclear when normal flight operations will fully resume.

At the moment, flights to and from Saudi Arabia are still operating. However, if the situation continues or becomes worse, more flight disruptions are expected in the coming days.