KARACHI: Flight operations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were disrupted on Friday amid escalating tensions in the Gulf, with 42 flights cancelled and dozens more delayed at airports across the country, causing difficulties for thousands of Umrah pilgrims.
Airport sources said flights were cancelled at several airports on security grounds following reported Houthi missile attacks on Saudi Arabia.
According to the sources, 13 flights were cancelled and 12 delayed at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport, while Karachi airport recorded 10 cancellations and 13 delays.
At Islamabad International Airport, nine flights were cancelled and eight delayed, while seven flights were also cancelled at Multan Airport.
The disruptions left thousands of passengers, particularly Umrah pilgrims, facing uncertainty over their travel arrangements.
Meanwhile, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) temporarily suspended its flights to Riyadh, citing the prevailing situation in the Middle East, according to an airline spokesperson.
PIA advised passengers to contact its call centre to confirm the latest status of their flights before leaving for the airport.
Several international airlines, including Philippine Airlines, Lufthansa Group, EgyptAir, IndiGo and Air India, also suspended flights to Riyadh amid the security situation.
The disruptions followed reports of attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Thursday.
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said on Friday that three Saudi nationals had been killed and several people injured in two attacks on the airport. According to the authority, the first attack targeted airport facilities, while the second struck an aircraft belonging to national carrier Saudia.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement claimed responsibility for launching two cruise missiles at the airport on Thursday.
The group also claimed to have targeted an airport in the southwestern city of Najran and an airbase in Khamis Mushait with ballistic missiles. Saudi authorities had not confirmed those additional claims.
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The Houthis have said their attacks are linked to Saudi Arabia’s support for government forces in Yemen’s renewed civil war. Riyadh is backing an offensive by Yemen’s internationally recognised government to regain territory held by the Houthi movement.
The latest reported casualties came after Saudi authorities said on Wednesday that three people had been killed in earlier strikes targeting Riyadh and Abha airports earlier in the week.
