Eleven International Flights Stranded at Pakistani Airports
Eleven international flights remain stranded in Pakistan as Middle East tensions disrupt airspace, causing global travel delays and route changes.
Karachi Airport – (Web Desk) – At least 11 international flights have been stuck at airports across Pakistan for the past three days as tensions escalate in the Middle East following the US-Israel strikes on Iran. On Saturday, Israel and the United States launched coordinated attacks on Iran, resulting in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and intensifying regional conflicts. In response, Tehran fired missiles targeting Gulf countries and Israel, heightening hostilities.
These events disrupted many flight operations across the region. A foreign airline has been grounded at Multan Airport for three days, while two international carriers remain stuck at Sialkot Airport. Air traffic through Pakistani and Afghan airspace has surged as airlines reroute due to Middle East airspace closures. According to FlightRadar data, several routes over Pakistan and Afghanistan are now among the world’s busiest corridors.
Global air travel has been heavily affected, with major Middle Eastern airports, including Dubai—one of the busiest hubs in the world—remaining closed. Key transit airports in the UAE, including Abu Dhabi, and Doha in Qatar, have either shut or imposed severe restrictions. These closures have caused widespread disruption as long-haul flights connecting Europe and Asia face delays, leaving aircraft and crews stranded and affecting airline schedules worldwide.
Airlines across Europe, Asia and the Middle East cancelled or rerouted flights to avoid closed or restricted airspace, lengthening journeys and driving up fuel costs. The disruption has been intensified by the loss of Iranian and Iraqi overflight routes, which had grown more important since the Russia-Ukraine war forced airlines to avoid both countries’ airspace.
Oil prices jump 13%, top $80 amid Middle East tensions
The Middle East airspace closures were squeezing airlines into narrower corridors, with fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan adding a further risk, said Ian Petchenik, communications director at Flightradar24.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.