A fire erupted at Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, Pakistan on Thursday due to a short circuit in the ceiling of the immigration counter, leading to delays in both Hajj and international flights, as reported by several news channels. Rescue teams quickly arrived at the scene and managed to control the fire with no loss of life reported.
Airport authorities mentioned that the short circuit happened around 5 am.
Various reports indicated that the immigration system was partially damaged, causing an initial halt to immigration processes.
Despite concerns about immigration operations, inbound international flights continued to arrive at Lahore airport without any diversions. Passengers affected by the incident were evacuated from the immigration area due to dense smoke, with operations temporarily shifted to the domestic lounge, as per the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Moreover, the incident caused delays in several Hajj and international flights.
The CAA announced that international flights were still operating from the domestic departure lounge, accommodating both Hajj and international flights through domestic facilities.
Regarding Pakistan’s Hajj pilgrimage plans, the Ministry of Religious Affairs announced the government’s plan to operate 11 special flights on the first day of the Hajj 2024 flight operation, set to transport 2,160 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.
The Ministry disclosed that the flight operation for Hajj 2024 would start on May 9 and continue until June 9. The schedule includes 670 passengers departing from Lahore across three flights, 330 from Karachi in two flights, 680 from Islamabad in three flights, 329 from Multan in two flights, and 151 from Sialkot in one flight.
