40 flights affected as dense fog chokes air travel in Pakistan

LAHORE – The dense fog in the central Punjab province of Pakistan brought air travel to a standstill with flight disruptions and delays.

The inclement weather coupled with a thick blanket of fog led to the cancellation or delay of 40 flights in the last couple of days. 

The flights headed for Lahore, Sialkot, Islamabad and other adjoining cities were either delayed or canceled due to the fog which is affecting the commuters on main highways also.

The flight EK-618 which took off from Dubai was not cleared for landing at the Sialkot airport while PIA’s PK-280 flight was forced to land at the Islamabad International Airport; the aircraft which took off from Jeddah and Dubai had to land at Islamabad Airport, Geo News reported.

The severity of the situation can be assessed from the fact that a Lahore-bound flight from Karachi had to land back at the Jinnah International Airport, disrupting the travel plans of the passengers.

As December comes to an end, the situation of travel has worsened in parts of the country. Experts say that the situation is likely to prevail till any rainfall occurs. Meanwhile, the traffic police are constantly requesting the citizens to avoid travel unless any emergency arises because the visibility drops down to zero due to fog on thoroughfares.