Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has resumed its flight operations to Gulf countries following the ceasefire between Iran and Israel. The airline had temporarily suspended flights due to regional tensions, but with the situation improving, services from major Pakistani cities have restarted.
PIA has now resumed flights from Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi to destinations such as Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Dubai. The airline made the decision to restart operations after regional airspace became safer following the recent de-escalation in the Gulf.
A PIA spokesperson stated that the earlier suspension and delays were caused by military activity and closed air routes in the region. Flights were delayed significantly—some by over 14 hours. For example, Islamabad to Dammam departed after a 15-hour delay, while flights from Karachi and Lahore to Medina also faced long delays.
Several other delayed flights have now departed, including PK-209 from Sialkot to Sharjah, PK-221 from Multan to Dubai, and PK-761 from Karachi to Jeddah. PK-251 from Sialkot to Doha and a flight from Islamabad to Abu Dhabi also took off, marking the full resumption of PIA’s Gulf operations.
The airline advised passengers to stay updated on flight schedules through the PIA website or call center. It apologized for the inconvenience caused, stating that all decisions were made in the interest of passenger safety. The disruption followed Iran’s missile attacks on US military bases in the Gulf on June 23, which led Qatar and other countries to temporarily close their airspace.