Heavy Rains Disrupt Flight Operations at Islamabad Airport

ISLAMABAD: Torrential rainfall in Islamabad and Rawalpindi severely disrupted air travel at Islamabad International Airport, causing a wave of flight delays and cancellations that affected both domestic and international operations.

Airport officials confirmed that “British Airways flight BK2160 was delayed by three hours” while “a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) service to Dubai was postponed by an hour”.

A private airline’s Karachi-bound flight was held up for two hours. Several other routes, including those to Jeddah, Doha, Dubai, Muscat, Riyadh, and Baku, experienced delays ranging from 30 minutes to one hour.

The airport’s inquiry portal noted that six flights were cancelled, particularly impacting the Islamabad–Skardu sector. Among the cancelled flights were “PIA’s PK-451 and PK-452” and “AirSial’s PF-121 from Karachi”. Due to ongoing low visibility and continued rainfall, “all flights to Skardu were suspended for the day”.

Delays Stretch Into Hours

In total, over 15 flights saw major delays, with several held up for hours.

• “PIA’s PK751 to Jeddah” faced a two-hour delay.
• “Serene Air’s AR-810 to Jeddah”, which was set for 8:00 am, was delayed for more than 12 hours as the inbound flight from Jeddah couldn’t land.
• “AirSial’s PF-746 to Dammam” was delayed over seven hours, now expected to leave by 3:00 pm.

Arriving flights were also hit hard. “FlyDubai’s flight from Dubai” arrived seven hours late, while “Fly Jinnah’s service from Riyadh” landed more than six hours behind schedule. A separate Serene Air flight from Jeddah could not depart due to weather concerns.

Further, “PIA’s PK-144 from Al Ain” experienced a five-hour delay. AirSial’s Riyadh-bound aircraft remained grounded after being denied clearance, now anticipated at 2:00 pm. Lastly, “PIA’s PK-300 between Karachi and Islamabad” saw a two-hour delay.

Authorities cited persistent downpours and limited visibility as the primary reasons behind the disruptions. Continued rainfall is expected in the forecast. Passengers are advised to stay in touch with airlines and the airport’s inquiry portal for the latest flight status updates.