KARACHI: Air travel between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia faced major disruptions on Friday after 42 flights were cancelled amid rising regional tensions and reported Houthi attacks on Saudi targets, leaving thousands of passengers, including Umrah pilgrims, facing uncertainty.
Airport sources said several flights were cancelled on security grounds, while numerous others were delayed at major airports across Pakistan.
Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport reported 13 cancellations and 12 delays. At Karachi airport, 10 flights were cancelled and 13 delayed, while Islamabad International Airport recorded nine cancellations and eight delays. Seven flights were also cancelled at Multan Airport.
The disruption affected a large number of travellers, particularly Umrah pilgrims, whose departure schedules were thrown into disarray.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) also temporarily halted its flights to Riyadh in view of the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East, an airline spokesperson said.
The national carrier advised passengers to contact its call centre for updated flight information before travelling to the airport.
Several foreign airlines, including Philippine Airlines, Lufthansa Group, EgyptAir, IndiGo and Air India, also suspended services to Riyadh amid security concerns.
The flight disruptions followed reports of attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Thursday.
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said on Friday that three Saudi nationals had been killed and several others injured in two attacks involving the airport. According to the authority, the first strike targeted airport facilities, while the second hit an aircraft operated by national airline Saudia.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement claimed responsibility for firing two cruise missiles towards the airport. The group also said it had targeted an airport in Najran and an airbase in Khamis Mushait with ballistic missiles, although Saudi authorities had not confirmed those additional claims.
The Houthis have linked their attacks to Saudi Arabia’s backing of government forces in Yemen’s renewed civil war. Riyadh is supporting an offensive by Yemen’s internationally recognised government to recover areas controlled by the Houthi movement.
The latest reported casualties came after Saudi authorities said on Wednesday that three people had been killed in earlier attacks targeting airports in Riyadh and Abha.
