Flights are cancels

Pakistan International Airlines PIA on Saturday suspended seven more flights to Europe and the United States of America, as international air traffic remained disrupted for the third consecutive day because of dangerous ash cloud hovering over some European countries, said a statement issued by the national flag carrier on Saturday.

The return flights on Islamabad Copenhagen Oslo, Islamabad Birmingham, Islamabad London, Islamabad-Leads, Lahore Glasgow, Lahore London and Lahore Manchester-New York routes were cancelled, it said. Five return flights, scheduled for Sunday, have also been cancelled, it said.A special task force, headed by Aijaz Haroon, Managing Director, is making efforts to resolve the problem arising out of cancellation of 32 flights since Thursday, when a volcanic eruption in Iceland sent fumes in the atmosphere.

The restriction on flights is expected to remain in place till next Wednesday, said the statement.
Around 6,000 passengers of the national flag carrier, across the country and abroad, have been affected due to cancellation of flights. Out of these, around 400 passengers are stranded in European cities, it said.According to an estimate, PIA has suffered a revenue loss of around Rs500 million or $6 million during the last three days.Efforts are afoot to transport 320 passengers of flight PK-723, bound for JFK Airport New York, and stranded in Paris for the last three days to their destination subject to the permission of the euro air traffic controllers, it said.