All flights diverted as floods shut Sialkot airport in Pakistan
Kartarpur Corridor closed after Ravi River floodwaters enter Sikh shrine
DUBAI/LAHORE – Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced on Thursday that all flights scheduled to operate from Sialkot International Airport have been shifted to Lahore following the closure of the airport due to floodwaters.
The airline said all flights between 10 am and 10 pm would depart from and arrive in Lahore instead.
Among the affected operations are flights to Jeddah, Kuwait and Dammam. Passengers have been advised to remain in contact with the PIA call centre for real-time updates. Officials confirmed that floodwater was advancing towards the airport from its southern side, prompting emergency drainage efforts using dewatering equipment.
????سیالکوٹ انٹرنیشنل ائیرپورٹ#Sialkot #SialkotFlood #sialkotrain pic.twitter.com/GhgKY6ZTYp
— Maham Awan (@awanmaham_) August 28, 2025
Flight operations at Sialkot had already been disrupted earlier this week when heavy rainfall submerged parts of the surrounding city, forcing a 12-hour suspension. Authorities confirmed that the airport’s central areas, including its terminal and runway, remain safe, but that the precautionary closure would continue until floodwaters were fully cleared.
Punjab’s flood crisis
As of Thursday, August 28, floodwaters continue to wreak havoc across Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province. At least 15 people have died in the past two days as swollen rivers surged downstream from India, overwhelming embankments and threatening urban centres. The Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) reported extremely high water levels at Shahdara on the Ravi River, where inflows reached 148,000 cusecs.
At Jassar, flows touched 166,000 cusecs, while the Qadirabad headworks recorded nearly one million cusecs passing through its barrage, raising fears of a breach that could devastate towns such as Hafizabad and Chiniot. Officials said more than 210,000 people have been evacuated from riverine areas since mid-August, with tens of thousands leaving voluntarily after warnings.
وزیراعظم محمد شہباز شریف پنجاب کے سیلاب سے متاثرہ علاقوں کے دورے پر روانہ
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) August 28, 2025
روانگی سے قبل اور فضائی جائزہ کے دوران چیئرمین این ڈی ایم اے لیفٹیننٹ جنرل انعام حیدر کی ملک میں مجموعی سیلابی صورتحال پر وزیراعظم کو تفصیلی بریفنگ
وزیراعظم کو پنجاب کے دریاؤں میں طغیانی اور زیر آب… pic.twitter.com/erIKku1aZg
The Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Narowal district, one of Sikhism’s holiest sites, has been partially submerged by floodwaters from the Ravi. Three to four feet of water now cover much of the white-marble complex. Authorities say that the sacred Guru Granth Sahib has been moved to safety and volunteers relocated upstairs. However, the Kartarpur Corridor linking the shrine with India’s Gurdaspur district has been shut, suspending cross-border pilgrimages.
Pakistan monsoon deaths
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reported that since the monsoon season began on June 26, at least 805 people have died and 1,107 have been injured in flood-related incidents across the country. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has suffered the highest toll with 479 fatalities, followed by Punjab with 165.
The disaster has displaced more than 167,000 people in Punjab alone. Army and rescue teams have been deployed across flood-hit districts, using boats and helicopters to evacuate stranded families. Livestock and standing crops have been washed away in vast areas, compounding fears of food shortages.
Heroes ???????????? pic.twitter.com/dfpCcDI6ll
— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) August 27, 2025
On Wednesday, Indian authorities opened gates of several dams in Kashmir after heavy rains swelled reservoirs, warning Pakistan of possible downstream flooding. The Sutlej, Ravi and Chenab rivers have since carried the excess water into Punjab, triggering red alerts. Experts warn that any breach in protective barrages could inundate towns home to millions.
Wider devastation
The NDMA has also warned Sindh province to brace for severe flooding in the Indus River as excess flows from Punjab move south. Ministers have been appointed as focal persons to oversee relief efforts in Guddu, Sukkur and Kotri, while district legislators have been directed to remain in their constituencies.
Fresh rain is forecast between August 29 and September 2, with heavy downpours expected in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Murree, Galliyat and upper Punjab. Officials caution that more landslides and flash floods are likely in hilly areas of Azad Kashmir and northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
So far, Gilgit-Baltistan has reported 45 deaths, Balochistan 24, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 23 and Islamabad eight, in addition to those killed in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The continuing monsoon spell is forecast to last until at least September 10, raising fears of devastation on the scale of 2022, when unprecedented floods killed more than 1,700 people and inflicted $30 billion in damage.
Symbolism and threat
The partial flooding of Kartarpur Sahib highlights the vulnerability of South Asia’s heritage sites to climate-driven disasters. The shrine, believed to be the final resting place of Guru Nanak, has stood for centuries on the banks of the Ravi and has endured previous floods. But this year’s inundation has closed its international corridor and placed one of Sikhism’s most sacred sites at risk.
Meanwhile, officials warn that the crisis may yet worsen if further inflows from India combine with forecast rains. By Thursday morning, inflows at Qadirabad had already crossed safety thresholds. Experts are closely monitoring barrages across Punjab, with authorities using controlled breaches to reduce pressure.
Across the border in India, the Kashmir region has recorded at least 60 deaths this month due to monsoon-triggered floods and landslides. While river levels were beginning to recede on Thursday, the impact of water releases continues to be felt downstream in Pakistan’s Punjab.