LAHORE – Several flights at the Lahore airport were delayed after immigration system caught fire on Thursday.
Reports said the fire erupted in the departure lounge of the Allama Iqbal International Airport due to a short circuit, forcing the officials to stop the immigration process.
The blaze was extinguished by the Civil Aviation Authority officials but it was difficult to restart the immigration process as the lounge was covered with thick smoke.
The first Hajj flight scheduled to depart from Lahore was also delayed due to the fire incident. However, the immigration of the Hajj pilgrims was later started from the domestic counter.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs has announced the commencement of Hajj flight operations from May 9 to June 9 for the year 2024. Thursday will mark the historic departure of the first Hajj flight from Islamabad, set to take pilgrims to Madinah.
According to the spokesperson of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, during the initial 15 days of the operation, all flights will touch down directly at Madinah Airport. Subsequently, from May 24th to June 9th, most flights will land at Jeddah Airport. On the inaugural day, a total of 11 flights will transport 2,160 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. Islamabad will see off 680 pilgrims across three flights, while Karachi and Lahore will dispatch 330 and 670 passengers respectively through their allocated flights for the Holy Hijaz.
