Islamabad: The Pakistani embassy in Riyadh and the country’s consulate in Jeddah have set up helplines and deployed teams at regional airports to facilitate Pakistani passengers suffering flight disruptions, state media reported on Sunday.
Several regional countries shut down their airspace when Iran launched strikes against US bases in the Gulf following US-Israeli strikes on Iran last week. The conflict has affected key air corridors and forced airlines to cancel or reroute thousands of flights.
Hundreds of international and domestic flights have been canceled in Pakistan since the conflict began on Feb. 28, with most of them scheduled to fly between the South Asian country and destinations in the Middle East.
“As per the instructions of the Government of Pakistan, the Pakistani Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate General of Pakistan in Jeddah have set up round the clock helplines and deployed teams at regional airports to facilitate Pakistani passengers,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
The state media outlet noted that the Middle East war has disrupted air travel, particularly for Pakistani Umrah pilgrims and other passengers in the western regions of Saudi Arabia.
