ISLAMABAD: Six international flights bound for Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi were diverted to Muscat and Islamabad on Sunday as dense fog surrounded the metropolis, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said in a statement. 

Karachi was ranked as the fourth-most polluted city in the world by Swiss monitoring agency IQAir on Sunday morning. Karachi reported an air quality index of 215, deemed as “very unhealthy” by IQAir.

“Due to fog, six international flights bound for Karachi have been diverted to other airports,” the PAA said.
“The diversion of flights in conditions of limited visibility is a standard safety measure.”

The PAA said Karachi-bound flights of Pegasus, Etihad, Flyadeal, and Gulf Air airlines have been diverted to Muscat.

Meanwhile, local airline Fly Jinnah’s flight from Jeddah has been diverted to Islamabad instead of Karachi, the PAA said. It also added that the Pakistan International Airlines’ flight from Madinah has been diverted to Muscat instead of Karachi. 

Earlier, Pakistani authorities closed key routes on the motorway on Saturday night as thick fog enveloped parts of the eastern Punjab province. 

Punjab cities face worsening smog each winter, driven by crop burning, vehicle emissions and industrial pollution that threatens public health and daily life. The smog season typically begins in late October, peaks between November and January and can persist through February.

As per a statement released by the National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP), the M-2 motorway was closed from Thokar Niaz Baig to Kot Momin, the M-3 motorway section was closed from Faizpur to Darkhana and the M-4 area from Pindi Bhattiyan to Abdul Hakeem was also closed. The M-11 route was also closed from the provincial capital Lahore to Sambrial. 

However, the motorway routes were opened for traffic as visibility improved around 10:00 am on Sunday morning.