Due to intense fog, several routes and highways in various districts of Punjab remained closed on Wednesday. In addition, numerous trains were delayed for several hours due to severe fog.
In addition to dense fog, cold weather caused substantial interruptions to airline schedules.
Due to poor visibility, the Lahore-Multan Motorway from Faizpur to Nankana Sahib, the M-2 Motorway from Lahore to Kot Momin, and the Lahore-Sialkot Motorway from Lahore to Sambrial remained closed to traffic, and the traffic flow on other highways in central Punjab, particularly GT Road, was severely impacted. A spokesperson for Motorways recommended motorists avoid nonessential travel, equip their vehicles with fog lights, and use hotline 130 if assistance is required.
Dr. Asad Malhi, CTO of Lahore, supervised traffic management in locations such as Thokar Niaz Baig, Canal Road, Raiwind Road, Johar Town, Khaaban-e-Amin Township, and Multan Road due to significant traffic congestion. Due to the road’s closure, vehicles from the Eastern Bypass, Thokar Niaz, and Babu Sabu were not permitted to enter. To help motorists, he claimed that the number of guards at the entry and departure points had increased. He asserted that traffic officers were attempting to maintain traffic movement despite the dense fog and that citizens were informed of the fog state via the Raasta App and FM 88.6.
Severe fog decreased visibility to 50 meters at Allama Iqbal Airport, resulting in the cancellation or delay of numerous local and international flights. According to a CAA spokeswoman, flights TK 715 from Lahore to Istanbul, TK 714 from Istanbul to Lahore, and Oman Airline flight WY 342 to Muscat have been canceled. However, aircraft PK 740 from Jeddah to Lahore will operate at 4:30 am today (Thursday).
Flight PK 203 from Dubai to Lahore was delayed by 10 hours, while flight PK 204 from Lahore to Dubai will depart at 4 am today (Thursday); flights PK 840 from Jeddah to Lahore, PK 739 from Lahore to Jeddah, PA 413 from Sharjah to Lahore, and PK 230 from Muscat to Lahore were all delayed.
Also canceled were flights PF-146 from Lahore to Karachi and PF-145 from Karachi to Lahore. The visibility limit at Multan Airport was reduced to 600 meters, causing planes to be diverted to Islamabad. These flights included PK 180 from Dubai to Sialkot, PK 768 from Jeddah to Lahore, PK 768 from Madina to Lahore, and PK 768 from Madina to Lahore. The airlines provided bus service for returning passengers to their respective cities.
The spokeswoman recommended tourists confirm flight times before departing for airports, visit www.caapakistan.com.pk or dial 080000114114 or 111222114 for assistance.
