A huge fire breakout disrupted the flight operations at Lahore Airport, earlier today. All the international and domestic flights were halted including the first Hajj flight for Madinah.
According to the reports, fire erupted after a short circuit at the Immigration counter. The fire rapidly engulfed a large part of the airport. Panic ensued among the passengers after the incident, however, no one was hurt in the incident. A woman and a child fell ill due to the smoke. They were later shifted to the hospital.
The airport was quickly evacuated from passengers. Hajj passengers who had boarded were called back to the airport lounge.
Airport Security Officials were the first ones to respond to the incident. Firefighters of the Civil Aviation Authority also rushed to the scene to contain the fire. The fire, however, had completely destroyed the immigration counter, completely disrupting the operations.
All the international flights intended for Lahore were re-routed to different airports across the country. A Sri Lankan Airline was diverted back mid-air. Two flights from Dubai en route to Lahore were diverted to Islamabad. Meanwhile, four flights from Dubai, Doha, and Jeddah landed at the Lahore Airport. Authorities cleared the passengers through manual immigration.
Read more: Hajj flight operations begin from Pakistan
A fire caused delays for at least six international flights, including Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), departing from Lahore. Flights from Karachi to Lahore were also impacted by the fire, with delays affecting both domestic and international routes. All airlines operating between Karachi and Lahore are experiencing delays due to the situation.
A team from the Civil Aviation Authority was formed to investigate the causes of the fire that broke out in the ceiling of the Immigration Counter. An initial report on the investigation has been submitted to the Aviation Minister Khwaja Asif.