LAHORE: At least 45 flights have been cancelled at airports across Pakistan as ongoing tensions between Iran and the United States disrupted air operations to and from the Middle East, while a technical fault in the United Kingdom’s flight operations system compounded problems for passengers bound for Europe.
According to airport sources, the cancelled flights include those of both domestic and foreign airlines. Besides Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport, flights to and from Karachi, Islamabad, Sialkot, Multan and Quetta have also been cancelled.
Sources said that, in addition to the Iran-US tensions, a fault in the UK’s flight operations system was also a reason for the cancellations. Passengers have faced additional difficulties because of the glitch, which has persisted for the past three days.
The cancellations have left passengers at Lahore and other airports in serious difficulty, with many contacting airlines for information about their flights.
Airport management has advised passengers travelling to Europe and the Middle East to obtain complete, up-to-date information on the status and schedule of their flights before leaving for the airport.
Pakistan’s air links are unusually dependent on the Gulf. Millions of Pakistanis live and work in the Gulf states, making routes to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh and Jeddah among the busiest from the country’s airports. Gulf hubs also serve as the main connecting points for Pakistani travellers heading to Europe and North America, so disruption in the region’s airspace quickly ripples across both sets of routes.
The latest disruption comes against the backdrop of a prolonged confrontation between Washington and Tehran. The Lahore Times has reported on US strikes on Iranian launchers near the Strait of Hormuz and US President Donald Trump’s remark that petrol prices would drop rapidly once the Iran war ends. Pakistan has been involved in diplomatic efforts, with Field Marshal Asim Munir’s third visit to Tehran reporting progress in talks.
The conflict has also disrupted regional trade and shipping, with knock-on effects felt as far as Sri Lanka’s tea exports.
The cancellations fall hardest on overseas workers returning to jobs in the Gulf, whose visas and employment contracts often leave little room for delays, and on families travelling for Umrah, for whom Saudi-bound flights are the only practical option. Students heading to universities in the UK and Europe at the start of the academic term are also among those affected by the combination of Gulf disruption and the UK systems fault.
For airlines, cancellations and re-routing around restricted airspace add fuel and crew costs at a time when operators are already coping with higher oil prices linked to the conflict. Last-minute rebooking also tends to become more expensive as seats on the remaining routes fill up.
Travellers with bookings to the Middle East, Europe or onward destinations are advised to check their flight status directly with their airline or on the airport’s official channels before travelling, keep contact details up to date with their airline so they receive alerts, and ask about rebooking or refund options, which vary by airline and fare type. Passengers connecting through Gulf hubs should also check whether their onward flights are affected, since a delay on one leg can cause a missed connection.
Airport sources did not indicate when normal operations would resume. With both the regional security situation and the UK systems issue unresolved, further schedule changes cannot be ruled out in the coming days.
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