Islamabad airport flights may be delayed over weekend from 8-9:15pm

ISLAMABAD: Flight operations at the Islamabad airport may be affected due to “operational reasons” from May 8-10, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) notified in a notice to airmen (Notam) on Friday.

The Notam said flight arrivals and departures could be delayed because of “operational” reasons from 10:45am to 12:15pm on May 8 and between 8pm and 9:15pm on May 9 and 10.

It further stated that flights arriving at the Islamabad airport had been asked to “bring sufficient holding fuel to cater to the delay”.

The PAA had issued a similar Notam for the airport in the federal capital in March as well. It said flight operations at Islamabad airport would be suspended for two hours on March 17 due to “operational reasons”.

The arriving aircraft were advised to “bring sufficient holding fuel to cater for delay” back then as well.

PIA reinstates weekly flights from Muscat

Separately, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced on Friday that it would reinstate flights from Oman to Islamabad, Lahore, and Multan, starting May 13.

The Pakistan embassy in Oman, in a post on X, said, “This [is] to inform the community that Pakistan International Airline (PIA) has officially reinstated its flight operations to Islamabad, Lahore and Multan from the Sultanate of Oman, effective from May 13, 2026”.

It added that the weekly flights would operate from Muscat to Lahore on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from Muscat to Multan on Wednesdays and Saturdays and from the Omani capital to Islamabad on Fridays.

The airline had announced the suspension of flights to the Gulf countries, with the exception of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in early April, citing a rise in jet fuel prices. A PIA spokesperson had said at the time that the flights were to remain suspended until the end of April.