ISLAMABAD, Sept 23: British Airways on Tuesday halted all flights to Pakistan for an indefinite period citing security concerns in the aftermath of the weekend bombing of Marriott Hotel.

“In light of the security situation in Pakistan, British Airways has cancelled its flights from Islamabad to Heathrow indefinitely,” it said in a statement.

“The safety and security of our customers, our staff and our operation is always our absolute priority.”

The airline operated six flights a week to Islamabad, its only destination in the country.

Sources in the airline said there were problems in finding secure accommodation for the crew. British Airways had its offices in Serena Hotel and its crew stayed there.

An official said the airline would reconsider its decision only when the country was safe to fly to.

The airline had earlier suspended its flights to Islamabad in Sept 2001. The flights were resumed in December 2003.

Meanwhile, all visa application centres of the British High Commission have been closed.

Opinion

Editorial

Pakistan’s moment
Updated 20 Jun, 2026

Pakistan’s moment

Pakistan’s diplomats are second to none, and if these states seek to engage this country constructively, a new modus vivendi for the subcontinent can be reached.
Menacing water plans
20 Jun, 2026

Menacing water plans

IN April last year, India suspended the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty, which contains no provision allowing it to...
World Refugee Day
20 Jun, 2026

World Refugee Day

WORLD Refugee Day, observed today around the globe, marks 75 years since the adoption of the 1951 convention ...
Digital deal
19 Jun, 2026

Digital deal

THINGS have moved rapidly where the Iran-US memorandum of understanding is concerned. While the physical document ...
Failing the public
19 Jun, 2026

Failing the public

WHETHER it is Sindh’s struggle to secure clean drinking water or Balochistan’s difficulty in improving the...
Crushed lives
19 Jun, 2026

Crushed lives

COURTS and commissions have often been up in arms over the health and ecological hazards associated with...