KARACHI: Regional airspace has descended into chaos following Iranian strikes on U.S. installations in the Middle East, forcing major airlines to abandon standard flight paths and cancel dozens of operations.
Airspace Avoidance and Rerouting
Airline sources confirm that carriers are now bypassing United Arab Emirates (UAE) airspace to avoid the escalating conflict zone. Flights are being diverted on significantly longer trajectories, entering Saudi Arabian airspace from the west and south before looping near Muscat, Oman, to rejoin traditional corridors.
This mass rerouting has caused a dramatic spike in flight durations:
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Dammam to Islamabad: Travel time has increased by 1 hour and 40 minutes.
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Dammam to Lahore/Multan: Flights are delayed by up to 90 minutes.
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Saudi Arabia to Pakistan: Flights from Jeddah and Riyadh are seeing 25-minute delays, while Madinah-Islamabad routes have increased by 35 minutes.
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UAE Routes: Flights from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah are averaging 15 minutes of extra airtime.
Mass Cancellations and Rising Costs
The crisis has crippled flight schedules across Pakistan. According to official flight data, 62 domestic and international flights were cancelled today alone.
The breakdown of cancellations includes:
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Islamabad: 15 international flights (including Kabul, Istanbul, and Kuwait) and 4 domestic flights to Gilgit.
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Karachi: 16 flights to regional hubs like Muscat, Dubai, and Baghdad.
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Lahore: 11 flights to Gulf destinations including Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.
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Peshawar & Multan: 14 combined flights to Doha, Dubai, and Fujairah.
Operational Impact
Industry experts warn that the extended flight times and groundings are significantly driving up operational costs for airlines. Fuel consumption has surged due to the longer “detour” routes, while logistical bottlenecks at major airports continue to grow as the regional security situation remains volatile.
Neither regional aviation authorities nor the affected airlines have provided a timeline for the resumption of normal operations, citing ongoing safety concerns in the Middle Eastern corridor.
