Four Pakistani airports will begin partial operations on Friday with a full resumption of commercial flights on Monday, following their suspension after military tensions with India erupted earlier this week, the Civil Aviation Authority said. A spokeswoman said Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar and Quetta airports would begin some flights on Friday with the remainder opening next week.
"These four airports will resume flight operations partially today," she said. She said airspace for all commercial flights would be re-opened on March 4 at 1.00 p.m. (0800 GMT). The decision to re-open Pakistani airspace came amid signs that the conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours was cooling with an Indian pilot shot down and captured by Pakistani forces this week due to be returned home on Friday.
The closure of Pakistan's airspace has disrupted not just the country's own air transport but also flights worldwide as airlines were forced to cancel or reroute flights to other destinations that pass over Pakistan. This week flights between Asia and Europe were severely affected by the closure, with thousands of passengers stranded, although airlines were later able to reroute many flights through China that normally pass over Pakistan.-Reuters
BR Staff Reporter adds: According to the NOTAM issued by Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA), which will remain effective until 0800 hours of March 4, 2019, flight operations to and from Islamabad, Quetta, Peshawar and Karachi airports have been resumed under restricted airspace.
After the valiant and befitting response to Indian aggression that shot down two Indian fighter jets intruding Pakistani airspace on February 27, 2019, the PCAA had issued a NOTAM, informing the airmen about the closure of Pakistan airspace until March 1 2019 but this restriction has further been extended until 1300 hours of March 1, 2019.
Later, PCAA through another NOTOM informed that Pakistan airspace has reopened from 1800 hours of March 1, 2019 with restricted airspace and flight operations have been resumed for Islamabad, Quetta, Peshawar and Karachi airports. Furthermore, it said that decision to resume flight operations at Lahore, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Multan and other airports would be taken later. Consequently, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and other foreign airlines especially Saudi Airline have now resumed its flight operations from 1800 hours of March 1, 2019.
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