RAWALPINDI: A thick fog over Karachi and Lahore airports badly affected the flight schedule on Thursday as several flights were delayed, diverted or cancelled, causing hardship to travellers who had no other option but to travel by trains or buses.

People travelling from Islamabad to Dubai had to wait for seven hours to get their flight, though the weather was clear at Benazir Bhutto International Airport.

Pakistan International Airlines spokesman Danyial Gilani said three PIA flights, including PK-214 from Dubai to Karachi and PK-732 from Jeddah to Karachi, had been diverted to Muscat because of poor weather conditions in Karachi. He said Muscat was being used as an alternative airport by PIA, while Nawabshah airport was another substitute.

Dammam-Lahore flight (PK-248) had been diverted to Multan and London-Karachi (PK-788) to Muscat due to fog over Karachi airport, the spokesman said. Seven flights were cancelled due to bad weather while two from Dubai to Peshawar and Jeddah to Peshawar were diverted to Islamabad due to sunset limitation at Peshawar airport.

According to airport sources, Karachi-Quetta-Islamabad flight (PK-352) and Islamabad-Quetta-Karachi flight (PK-363) were cancelled due to thick fog. Lahore-Quetta flight (PK-322), Quetta-Lahore flight (PK-323), Turbat-Muscat flight (PK-197), Muscat-Turbat flight (PK-198) and Dubai-Lahore flight (PK-204) were also cancelled because of the same reason.

Anger and unrest were witnessed among the people travelling from Islamabad to Dubai by PK-211 as the flight was delayed for seven hours. Two flights — one of a private airline for Jeddah and the other of PIA for Dubai — were also delayed.

Mr Gilani asked passengers to check flight time from the call centre before leaving for airport.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2016