Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has resumed its scheduled flight operations to several Gulf destinations following reports of a ceasefire reached between Iran and Israel.
“PIA flight operations to Gulf/KSA countries are resumed as of 12:30 PST/07:30 UTC,” the national carrier said in a post on social media platform X on Tuesday.
In a statement, PIA’s spokesperson said that Gulf operations were affected due to the war situation yesterday which is now being restored.
- Flight PK 245 from Islamabad to Dammam departed at 12:30 pm with a delay of 15 hours
- Flight PK 743 from Karachi to Madinah, which was diverted due to the closure of airspace the previous day, departed at 1:30 pm with a delay of 14:30 pm
- Flight PK 713 from Lahore to Madinah also departed at 1:30 pm with a delay of seven hours
- Flight PK 209 from Sialkot to Sharjah departed at 1:30 pm with a delay of 15 hours
In addition, flight PK 221 from Multan to Dubai, flight PK 251 from Sialkot to Doha, flight PK 761 from Karachi to Jeddah, and flight PK 261 from Islamabad to Abu Dhabi also departed at 1:30 pm
With the departure of these flights, PIA flight operations to Gulf countries have resumed, read the statement.
“Due to the delayed departure of these flights, flights returning home will also be delayed. Passengers are requested to stay in touch with PIA’s call centre or website for timely information regarding their flights
“We apologise for the inconvenience caused to passengers; however, the decision to restrict operations last night was taken following air safety principles,” read the statement.
The development comes after US President Donald Trump said Iran and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire, sending oil prices into a deep dive as concerns over supply disruptions ebbed.
“THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
On Monday, the national flag carrier suspended its flight operations to Gulf countries, including Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and UAE as a precautionary step taken in light of military escalations in the Middle East, which have raised concerns over the safety of civilian air traffic.
“The security and well-being of our passengers remain our foremost priority,” said a spokesperson for PIA back then. “We are closely monitoring the situation and will restore operations as soon as the security landscape allows.”
The move disrupted travel plans for hundreds of passengers.
The decision followed a wave of regional instability triggered by the Iran-Israel confrontation, which has seen missile exchanges, airspace restrictions, and retaliatory threats across the Gulf. Aviation authorities across the region have heightened alerts, prompting several international carriers to reroute or suspend services.
Earlier, a special PIA aircraft was dispatched from Peshawar to Ashgabat on Tuesday evening to retrieve the stranded citizens. These individuals had been unable to travel due to the temporary closure of Iranian airspace and a lack of commercial connectivity.
Comments