LAHORE: Flight operations on the main runway of the Lahore airport resumed on Thursday after the authorities removed an aircraft that skidded off the runway upon landing.

Shaheen Airlines` plane had run out of the runway at the Allama Iqbal International Airport on Tuesday, forcing the Civil Aviation Authority to close it for flights.

The equipment and technicians arrived here from Karachi on Wednesday and after a struggle of several hours the plane was removed at around 3pm on Thursday.

After the runway got operational, the PIA found other excuses to cancel threeinternationalandfour domestic flights. PIA`s flights to Jeddah, Dammam and Abu Dhabi and Karachi and Islamabad (three) were cancelled as its spokesman blamed shortage of fleet.

Umrah pilgrims were affected the most.

During the last few days four Jeddah-bound PIA flights were cancelled.