Heavy fog in capital disrupts flight operation

KARACHI: The flight operation of Islamabad International Airport was badly affected on Tuesday due to heavy fog.

Seven flights landed in Lahore, Peshawar and Karachi. Thirty flights across the country were canceled while more than 50 delayed. According to airport sources, flight ER 702 of a private airline from Dubai to Islamabad was first taken to Karachi, then the flight as ER 702D reached Islamabad at 10:30 in the morning and could not land and the aircraft landed in Lahore.

Saudi Airlines Flight SV 724 from Riyadh to Islamabad had to remain in the air for an hour to land. Karachi Islamabad flights PF 121, 9P970 and Dubai-Islamabad flight PK 134 landed at Lahore. Sharjah-Islamabad flight PK 182 landed at Peshawar. According to the flight schedule Islamabad-Gilgit flights PK 601, 602, 606 and 607, Islamabad-Karachi ER 503, ER 540, 541, PK 370, Jeddah-Islamabad ER 802, Dubai-Islamabad PK 234 could not be operated due to fog.

The Lahore-Quetta PK 322, 323, Dubai ER 723, 724, Karachi PF 144, ER 525 were cancelled. Four up-down cargo flights from China’s Qoming and Nanning airports to Lahore, three private airline flights from Karachi and Jeddah could not be operated. Multan-Karachi PK 331, Sukkur-Karachi PK 536, 537, Karachi-Jeddah PK 731, Karachi-Quetta PK 310, 311, Karachi-Islamabad 9P675 and 9P674 have been cancelled. Dubai-Islamabad PK 208 Karachi was also cancelled. According to aviation sources, flights from London, Dubai, Bahrain, Dammam, Karachi to Islamabad were delayed on Tuesday. Twenty-two flights from Islamabad to Bahrain, Sharjah, London, Dubai, Istanbul, Doha, Karachi, Quetta, Riyadh and Madinah were delayed. The arrival and departure of four flights from Peshawar, 6 from Sialkot, 18 from Lahore and 30 from Karachi were delayed.