PIA resumes flight operations to Gulf countries following Iran-Israel ceasefire
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has resumed its scheduled flight operations to several Gulf destinations following reports of a ceasefire reached between Iran and Israel.
'PIA flight operations to Gulf/KSA countries are resumed as of 12:30 PST/07:30 UTC,' the national carrier said in a post on social media platform X on Tuesday.
The development comes after US President Donald Trump said Iran and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire, sending oil prices into a deep dive as concerns over supply disruptions ebbed.
'THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT!' Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
On Monday, the national flag carrier suspended its flight operations to Gulf countries, including Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and UAE as a precautionary step taken in light of military escalations in the Middle East, which have raised concerns over the safety of civilian air traffic.
'The security and well-being of our passengers remain our foremost priority,' said a spokesperson for PIA back then. 'We are closely monitoring the situation and will restore operations as soon as the security landscape allows.'
The move disrupted travel plans for hundreds of passengers.
The decision followed a wave of regional instability triggered by the Iran-Israel confrontation, which has seen missile exchanges, airspace restrictions, and retaliatory threats across the Gulf. Aviation authorities across the region have heightened alerts, prompting several international carriers to reroute or suspend services.
Earlier, a special PIA aircraft was dispatched from Peshawar to Ashgabat on Tuesday evening to retrieve the stranded citizens. These individuals had been unable to travel due to the temporary closure of Iranian airspace and a lack of commercial connectivity.
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