Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has suspended all regular scheduled flights to the Gulf countries including Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Dubai. PIA then stated in a press release that the suspension of flights is due to a sudden increase in military activity in the Middle East resulting from over the weekend, meaning the safety first.PIA indicated to passengers that they have additional flights scheduled for December for these route suspensions and will allow the situation to normalize before its flights resume to these affected areas.
Trouble in Paradise
On Monday afternoon, a PIA press release proclaimed that flights to the Gulf cities were suspended “in light of the worsening military situation in the area.” A PIA spokesperson was in place, initiating the planes would stay down until the situation stabilizes. The PIA press release came out shortly after Iran had fired missiles at U.S. military bases in Iraq and Qatar. As a precautionary measure, they used event variables on flights. Several Gulf countries, including Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait, temporarily closed off to airspace.
Passengers Experience
For passengers that had booked PIA flights to these cities, it is best to check your New PIA websites and contact PIA’s call centre (021‑111‑786‑786) to see when and how you can be rebooked. The PIA bookings team is still trying to get passengers that had to switch back to home to route themselves on forthcoming flights whenever they resume. PIA indicated its regrets over the inconvenience but reinforced passenger safety has always come first.
Effects on the region
There has been more unrest in the Gulf region because of more military activitiesIran’s missile attack hit U.S. sites in Iraq and near Doha in Qatar, and caused Gulf countries to temporarily close their airspace. PIA’s decision matches a frequently taken safety measure, and at the same time leading airlines, such as Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Kuwait Airways, also changed their flight paths or cancelled flights.
Reuters says that this disruption is happening at the same time as more airspace closures in the Middle East, which is now one of the busiest flight paths in the world. Many airlines are taking longer routes through other areas to avoid hotspots.
Government Action and Public Safety
The Pakistani embassy in the UAE has told expats to stay in safe places and stay away from areas near military bases until further notice. Because Iran’s airspace remains closed, separate government-led repatriation aircraft have been set up to take people from Iran to Turkmenistan before they go to Pakistan.
Effects on the economy and operations
This suspension makes it even harder for PIA to make ends meet, which has already been hard because of problems with pilot license, EU prohibitions, and continuous privatisation initiatives.
The airline says it flies to 27 overseas locations, but this is only partly true. Many of its planes are grounded around the world. This restriction will undoubtedly cause delays in expected revenue and problems with operations, both at home and overseas.
PIA said flights will be up again as soon as “the situation returns to normal.” But experts say that military tensions in the Gulf can linger longer than expected, so the break might last for days or perhaps weeks.
In the meantime, passengers need to stay vigilant for updates, re-confirm their flight with helpdesk service provider PIA, and allot more time in the airport for their return trip. depending on flight routing via Gulf hubs, travelers may have to change their travel plans again or wait until the airspace allows stability.
