Heavy rains disrupt flights as Karachi airport struggles to cope

Heavy rains and persistent downpour in Karachi have severely disrupted the city’s flight operations, bringing them to a near halt on Tuesday with widespread cancellations and delays due to stormy weather conditions. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) cancelled flights PK-310/311 on the Karachi-Quetta route and PK-308/309 on Karachi-Islamabad due to adverse weather. The Lahore-Karachi flight PK-305 was delayed at Lahore Airport and will take off once conditions improve. Delays were reported for the Karachi-Najaf flights PK-109/110, with Karachi departures rescheduled for 10:30 pm, and PK-370 to Islamabad, expected to leave at 9:30 pm, both delayed due to passenger no-shows. International flights PK-731 to Jeddah and PK-843 to Madinah were also expected to face delays. Furthermore, the early morning Karachi-Islamabad flights PK-300/301 were cancelled. #karachirain #karachiairport at around 5 PM ! pic.twitter.com/YYlbKJ06IG — Vatao (@akbarvatao) August 19, 2025 Overall, eight flights were cancelled and 20 others delayed amid continuous downpour in Karachi. Flights arriving from Skardu and Dubai could not land, with PK-456 diverted to Sukkur Airport and Dubai’s FZ-335 flight rerouted to Multan. Multiple Karachi-Islamabad flights experienced delays, while flights from Jeddah, Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and Colombo also faced schedule disruptions. Two domestic PIA flights between Karachi and Quetta, Karachi and Islamabad, and two Sukkur flights were cancelled. Private carriers also suspended two Karachi-Dubai flights. Private airline operations were disrupted as well. A Serene Airline flight also attempted two landings in Karachi amid severe weather but was forced to abort and return to Islamabad. Passengers have been advised to monitor flight updates closely as the city battles severe weather affecting air travel.

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