Pakistan’s airspace fully reopened: CAA
Pakistan has fully reopened its airspace on Monday days after it closed its skies to all air travel, leaving thousands stranded worldwide as tensions with neighboring nuclear arch-rival India soared.
“All airports across Pakistan are operational and airspace reopened,” a spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority told AFP on Monday, adding the process had been completed by 1:00 pm.
Two more airports have since opened, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said, adding that curbs were expected to be removed on Tuesday.
“Some airports are open,” CAA spokesperson Mustafa Baig told Reuters on Monday, adding that airports in the capital of Islamabad, the southern port of Karachi, and the cities of Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Faisalabad were partly functional.
The closure resulted in disruption of major routes between Europe and South Asia, with mounting frustration from passengers stranded at international airports. Pakistan began reopening its airspace “gradually” from Friday, with flights allowed in and out of major cities.
However, backlog means major delays are still expected. The authorities have urged passengers to check for more information with their airlines.
The decision to close the airspace came last Wednesday on 27th of February after an aerial encounter with Indian air force over the occupied territory of Kashmir that ignited fears of all-out conflict.
CAA on 1st of March announced that the country’s airspace would be temporarily restored for commercial aviation, following which Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) declared that it would resume some flights. The flight operations at Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar and Quetta airports were resumed after a temporary suspension.
