RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said on Tuesday that the country’s airspace remains fully open, safe, and completely available for all civil aviation traffic.

The clarification came after the auth­ority issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) regarding specific air routes in the Karachi and Lahore regions, saying they would remain unavailable from March 3 to 31 between 9am and 3pm daily.

The NOTAM stated that selected Air Traffic Service (ATS) route segments in the Karachi (OPKR) and Lahore (OPLR) Flight Information Regions (FIRs) would remain unavailable during the above-mentioned period due to operational reasons.

In a subsequent statement, the PAA said that the NOTAM was a routine operational advisory.

Says no restrictions on commercial flights, arrivals, departures, or overflights

“It announces the temporary unavailability of specific ATS route segments within the Karachi and Lahore FIRs during daily windows (0900-1500 PKT) from March 3 to 31. These segments are closed from ground level to unlimited altitude due to standard operational reasons,” the statement said.

“Pakistan’s airspace as a whole remains fully open, safe, and completely available for all civil aviation traffic, including commercial flights. Air traffic services continue without hindrance, and alternative routing options are available and routinely used for all affected flows,” the authority added.

“No restrictions have been imposed on commercial operations, arrivals, departures, or overflights across Pakistan. Our air traffic controllers and airport teams are fully operational and managing traffic normally,” it further stated.

Meanwhile, no commercial flight operated between the Middle East and Islamabad on Monday, except for an Etihad Airways flight that landed there.

Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2026