UAE-Pakistan flights face disruptions for second day

UAE airlines have cancelled some flights to Pakistan on Thursday after the country shut down operations at its major airports, including Karachi, Lahore and Sialkot.

It comes a day after flight services to Pakistan were impacted after India hit multiple targets in Pakistan linked to the tourist killings in Jammu and Kashmir. 

In a statement sent to ARN News, Etihad Airways said flights between Abu Dhabi and Lahore, which were rescheduled to take-off a day after Wednesday's disruptions, have been cancelled. 

"Etihad Airways flights EY288 and EY289 between Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport (AUH) and Lahore Allama Iqbal International Airport (LHE), which were originally scheduled to depart on 07 May and subsequently delayed, have now been cancelled due to the ongoing closure of Pakistani airspace," the airline said in its statement.

The airline said it will continue to monitor the "evolving situation" and warned travellers of "further changes or disruption" to its Pakistan services. 

Emirates said it is suspending all flights to Pakistan's Lahore, Islamabad, Sialkot, Peshawar and Karachi until May 10.

In an update on its official website, the airline said it's "due to the ongoing uncertainly surrounding access to the country’s airspace and airports".

The Dubai carrier said travellers "booked on connecting flights to Pakistan will not be accepted to travel until further notice".

Dubai low-cost carrier, flydubai, also confirmed "temporary suspension of flights between Dubai and Karachi" on Thursday. In a statement, the airline said flights to and from Islamabad and Lahore have also been cancelled. 

"Flights FZ 354 from Islamabad International Airport (ISB), FZ 360 from Lahore International Airport (LHE) and FZ 338 from Sialkot Airport (SKT) on 08 May were cancelled," a spokesperson for the airline said.  

Meanwhile, flydubai services to Faisalabad, Multan, Quetta and Sialkot remain unaffected.

All airlines confirmed operations to India continue as normal.