RAWALPINDI: The country’s airspace will remain closed for all operations till 1pm on Tuesday (March 5), but flight operations to and from Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta will continue with restricted routes, according to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Partial operations will also continue from Lahore and Faisalabad.

Gilgit-Baltistan, Punjab and some parts of Sindh remained closed for flights on Monday.

The CAA issued a fresh Notam to all concerned intimating them that the airspace will remain closed from 2 pm on Monday to 1 pm on Tuesday. However, the flight operation on four airports with restricted routes will continue.

Flight operation from Lahore and Faisalabad had partially resumed on Sunday after remaining suspended for four days. No flights are being allowed on eastern routes due to the tensions with India.

Flights from five other airports — Sialkot International Airport, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rahimyar Khan and Dera Ismail Khan — did not resume on Monday due to security concerns, a CAA official said.

He added that flights from airports that are near the border with India would not resume unless a clearance was given by the government.

All international airlines which fly from Gulf countries to Pakistan have been operating normally. Thai Airways has so far not resumed its flights for Pakistan because its planes fly over Indian airspace.

The CAA official told Dawn that Pakistan had not fully opened its airspace for commercial flights so far.

Since flight operation at four major airports have resumed, all flights operated by foreign airlines are running smoothly. A PIA spokesman told Dawn that flights from six airports have restarted. The airline will resume operations from other airports once the government gives the go-ahead.

Asked about flight delays due to closure of airports, he conceded “slight delays” were taking place, but expressed the hope that the situation would return to normal soon.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2019