Islamabad International Airport saw numerous flights delayed or canceled on Thursday as a result of extreme weather conditions caused by heavy rainfall in the federal capital and Rawalpindi.
A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight to Dubai was delayed by an hour, and British Airways flight BK2160 was delayed by three hours. The flight from a private airline to Karachi was delayed by two hours. According to airport officials, flights to Jeddah, Doha, Dubai, Muscat, Riyadh, and Baku were also delayed by as much as an hour.
Six flights to and from the capital were canceled, according to the official flight inquiry portal of Islamabad airport. Particularly impacted was the Islamabad-Skardu route, where AirSial’s PF-121 from Karachi to Islamabad and PIA’s PK-451 and PK-452 flights were canceled.
Throughout the day, flight operations to Skardu were halted because of the constant rain and poor visibility.
Meanwhile, overnight heavy rains in the twin towns of Rawalpindi and Islamabad caused extensive urban flooding and interruptions to daily life. Major traffic jams resulted from the submersion of roads, particularly the heavily used Adiala Road.
Low-lying communities were alerted as the water level in the Katarian area rose to 15.7 feet near Nala Lai. Rescue crews were called in after water seeped into houses in a number of neighborhoods.
Bokra had 125 mm of rain, Sector I-12 received 106 mm, and Golra received 97 mm, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department. Syedpur received 69 mm of rain, Zero Point received 22 mm, while Islamabad Airport recorded 61 mm.
Chaklala received 133 mm of the most rainfall in Rawalpindi, followed by Kachhari with 102 mm, Gowalmandi with 90 mm, Pirodhai with 80 mm, and Shamsabad with 67 mm.
