Technical Glitch Grounds PIA, AirSial and Airblue Flights at Jinnah Airport
Several flights were cancelled at the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi due to technical issues, disrupting travel for passengers heading to domestic and international destinations.
According to the flight schedule, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) cancelled three flights: PK-370 to Islamabad, PK-304 to Lahore and PK-536 to Sukkur.
Other carriers were also affected. AirSial cancelled PF-143 to Lahore, while Airblue cancelled PA-110 to Dubai and PA-402 to Lahore. Passengers booked on the cancelled services had their travel plans disrupted.
A day earlier, four airlines cancelled or suspended six flights departing from the airport, affecting routes to Beijing, Gwadar, Islamabad, Lahore and Dubai. Air China cancelled Flight 946 to Beijing, citing operational reasons. PIA removed Flight 504 to Gwadar from its schedule.
AirSial suspended Flight 125 to Islamabad and cancelled Flights 143 and 146 to Lahore. Airblue Flight 110 to Dubai did not operate.
Last week, a performance report on all carriers found that no airline operating in Pakistan met the mandatory on-time departure requirement in 2026. Only 67.5 percent of flights departed on schedule during the year, 12.5 percentage points below the 80 percent minimum set by law.
The figure is lower than the 68.4 percent recorded in 2025 and more than five points below the 72.6 percent achieved by the country’s five airlines in 2024. On cancellations, two of the four airlines covered by that standard met the required benchmark in 2024, while the other two fell short.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has begun enforcement action against non-compliant carriers, serving show-cause notices and imposing fines. A delayed or cancelled flight can attract a penalty of up to Rs1 million.
