Passengers travelling to Karachi from Lahore reported longer flight times than usual on Tuesday as it emerged that airlines are avoiding the eastern airspace of Pakistan in view of continuing tensions with India.

The Civil Aviation Authority had a day earlier notified that the country's airspace, which was closed last week amid escalation with India, is now fully reopened for international and domestic travel.

But "a Lahore to Karachi flight which takes an hour-and-a-half approximately, took nearly two-and-a-half hours today," said Muhammad Khan, a passenger who travelled via Serene Air on flight ER-523.

However, he said the pilot had notified the passengers at the start of the flight that he would be taking a longer route as per the instructions given to him, without specifying a reason.

"I did not mind though, as I got the chance to take in the view of the Balochistan landscape for an extended period of time," Khan added.

Similarly, a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight (PK-303) from Lahore also took a round-about way to arrive in Karachi, as seen in the screengrab below.

Data from today's arrivals at major Pakistani airports showed that virtually all flights avoided taking straight routes to and from cities in eastern Punjab as well as Islamabad.

When asked about the longer flight times, CAA spokesperson Mujtaba Baig confirmed to Dawn.com that flights were operating under "restricted" airspace and will be taking longer routes when travelling to and from the eastern cities.

"Yes the straight route which was followed previously for Lahore to Karachi, for example, is no longer being followed. Airports have been opened for travel but with restricted entry and exit," he explained.

As a consequence, passengers should "obvious[ly]" expect longer than usual flight durations, Baig said.