Lahore, March 20 Pakistan Airport Traffic Control has prevented around 30 passenger aircraft from entering the Iranian war zone over the last two days, thus averting a major disaster, an official said on Friday.
"Due to severe weather conditions, some 30 Pakistani passenger aircraft were on the verge of drifting into Iranian airspace on Wednesday and Thursday. Timely guidance from the air traffic controllers, particularly coordination with the Karachi Flight Information Region, helped avert a major disaster," an official of the Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA) said.
He said these aircraft were facing extreme weather near the Iran border, creating a highly risky situation.
However, the professionalism demonstrated by the Lahore air traffic controllers ensured that the planes were safely diverted away from the danger zone, although no response was received from Tehran Air Traffic Control despite repeated attempts, he said.
These flights were arriving and departing to Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and other countries.
"The Lahore air traffic control, in coordination with the Karachi FIR, managed to assist aircraft in navigating out of severe weather conditions. The affected route, stretching from the Lahore sector westward via Kalat to Panjgur and Gwadar, experienced extremely poor weather. Aircraft began to lose stable control and were drifting toward Iranian airspace, which is currently closed due to the war situation," the official said.
"Because of adverse weather, eastward routes were also inaccessible, and pilots informed the control tower that continuing on those paths was unsafe. Many aircraft were forced toward the Panjgur area, where they encountered severe turbulence and weather disturbances. However, the Karachi Flight Information Region played a crucial role in guiding them safely back onto their designated routes," the official said.
Thousands of flights from Pakistan to the Middle East countries have been cancelled over the last 20 days due to the Iran conflict.