Airlines have been directed to inform passengers over phone about departure times to avoid inconvenience.
Dense fog and poor visibility have disrupted and delayed dozens of flights scheduled to land at different airports in Punjab, with at least seven flights diverted to Islamabad only on Thursday.
Flight schedules were disrupted at Sialkot, Multan, and Lahore airports as visibility dropped to 100 meters in cities in Punjab. Since December 21, as many as 32 flights have been diverted to Islamabad amid poor visibility.
Three international flights scheduled to land at Sialkot International Airport were diverted to Islamabad, according to flight information. Another PIA flight from Multan to Islamabad was canceled due to bad weather.
Another international flight of the national flag carrier, from Toronto to Lahore, was diverted to Islamabad due to foggy weather and poor visibility. The flights from Dubai, Jeddah and Baku were also diverted to Islamabad due to dense fog in Lahore.
PCAA forms task force
Foreseeing more disruptions in the coming days, as foggy conditions are expected to continue into next week, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) has formed a task force to facilitate the passengers of the delayed, diverted, or canceled flights. Airport managers will head the task force at all major airports to deal with the complaints of passengers of the affected flights, a spokesman for the PCAA said.
The PCAA’s Airport Services Directorate has directed the airport managers of Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Multan, Quetta, Faisalabad and Peshawar to ensure compliance with the directive regarding the constitution of the task force.
Furthermore, airlines have been directed to inform passengers over the phone about departure times to avoid inconvenience.
Highway closures
Heavy fog in central and southern Punjab also led to highway and motorway closures at night and during early hours in the morning, motorways police officials confirmed on Sunday, adding that the foggy conditions were expected to continue into next week.
This is not the first time that foggy conditions are disrupting flight schedules. Poor visibility due to dense fog results in delays, cancellations, and diversion of flights every year, leading to congestion at airports and causing inconvenience to passengers and their families.