Fog affects PIA flight schedule at Karachi airport

KARACHI: The flight schedule of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) at Jinnah International Airport Karachi on Saturday remained affected due to heavy fog in parts of the country specially in Punjab province, ARY NEWS reported.

According to a PIA spokesman, the flight schedule was affected due to heavy fog and the domestic flights schedule will only be resumed after improvement in visibility. He, however, said that international flights will be diverted to alternate airports in the country having better visibility.

The affected flights included PK-302 and PK-303 delayed by around five and four hours respectively. A Islamabad-bound flight from Karachi, PK-368, faced a delay by two and a half hours while a one and a half hour delay is faced by a Lahore-bound flight from the airport, PK-304.

The spokesman asked the passengers to register their numbers with the authorities in ticket booking section so that they could be informed regarding any delays. “The passengers should also inquire flight schedule before leaving for the airport.”

Read More: Fog engulfs Punjab plains, restricts visibility range

On November 21, air pollution in the shape of smog engulfed Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport forcing diversion of three flights to Islamabad.

According to airport sources, flight number QR 628 from Doha to Lahore was diverted to Islamabad airport due to poor visibility caused by intense smog.

The flights from Damam and Urumqi were also diverted towards Islamabad from Lahore for the same reason.

Moreover, flight number PK 650 from Islamabad to Lahore was stopped from taking off, while flight number SV 735 from Jeddah to Lahore also facing delay due to visibility problem caused by smog.