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Pakistan reopens airspace for civil aviation after nearly five months [UPDATE#127]

Varun

Varun

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[MENTION=137804]msb314[/MENTION] - you have got your wish. Pakistan have issued a NOTAM asking all airlines - Indian or otherwise - to not use their airspace if they have also overflown India in their flight path.

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Even an SQ SIN-LHR is returning to DEL, and an EK DAC-DXB is veering way south, though the latter will have enough fuel to make it to DXB.
 
Correction - Pakistan have shut down their entire airspace full stop!!!
[MENTION=93712]MenInG[/MENTION] - please change the title of this thread. This is big news.

Finnair DEL-HEL is holding at FL340. A lot of flights are approaching critical fuel levels.
 
Pakistan has SHUT its AIRSPACE for ALL FLIGHTS

While this might be expected, I would hope that they are able to help the commercial flights land before they run out of fuel.
 
Finnair now flying towards BOM. They better get on the ground there, because they won't have enough fuel to make it to HEL.

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Just got word that Finnair will fly around Gujarat to HEL.

But they will have to stop somewhere to pick up some additional fuel - remains to be seen where. Certainly not in Iran / Afghanistan.
 
Two Airblue flights from the UAE to Peshawar have been diverted to Karachi.

That leaves 29 flights approaching low fuel levels. Get them on the ground NOW.
 
It's a total mess. Pakistan is a huge airpsace - not like Syria / Yemen / Ukraine that you can navigate safely around. And on one side you have the Himalayas...

The ATCs better keep a cool head today.
 
This flight better prepare to divert to AMD on priority. It is nearing reserve fuel already.

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This is another one that needs a runway pronto.

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SOS to Iran.
 
No need to panic. They carry enough reserve (enough to proceed to alternate airport plus can fly 1.5-2 more hours) fuel.
 
Stallion__ said:
No need to panic. They carry enough reserve (enough to proceed to alternate airport plus can fly 1.5-2 more hours) fuel.
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The AI - US non-stops are pushed to the limit every winter even in the best of times. I will not breathe easy until all airplanes are on the ground.
 
Varun said:
The AI - US non-stops are pushed to the limit every winter even in the best of times. I will not breathe easy until all airplanes are on the ground.
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If worse comes to worst, they can request priotity landing at enroute alternates (Tehran, Muscat, Dubai etc)
 
Varun said:
The AI - US non-stops are pushed to the limit every winter even in the best of times. I will not breathe easy until all airplanes are on the ground.
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I am sure you will be fine but at this rate; you won't.

Ps: Start breathing :p
 
Another one in the same situation. ATC recordings indicate that they are planning for Sharjah (SHJ):

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Also - it's anybody's guess how this SpiceJet flight is going to make its way home.

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So SG has decided not to get off the ground at all. Wise move.

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AI has to take a call on what it should do with the non-stops this evening.

BOM departure should still be okay. Ex Delhi I cannot see a fully loaded 777 climbing to FL320 before the way point.
 
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TG 916 heading back to base.

As I mentioned many days ago in this thread, this is a big move by Pakistan to even hinder neutral countries' airspace rights. They better get a grip.
 
Varun said:
3rPCZah.png


TG 916 heading back to base.

As I mentioned many days ago in this thread, this is a big move by Pakistan to even hinder neutral countries' airspace rights. They better get a grip.
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Don't worry. Mind your country first.
 
GLORY OF '92 said:
Don't worry. Mind your country first.
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What do you mean don't worry? These two 72-year old aunties need to be tied to a chair and made to see reason, be it 'your' country or 'my' country.
 
Varun said:
As I mentioned many days ago in this thread, this is a big move by Pakistan to even hinder neutral countries' airspace rights. They better get a grip.
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Pakistan airspace is narrow and all of the three major airports are within 75 miles (which is nothing in aviation) of the Indian border. It's not desirable but Pakistan don't have a choice.
 
Our northerly airports have re-opened: IXJ, IXL, IXP, DHM, KUU, SLV, ATQ.

IXC and DED weren't closed in the first place to act as alternates to DEL.
 
GLORY OF '92 said:
Only India. We just responded to provocation.
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Relax. You're embarrassing Pakistan here. Compare your childish posts to the mature responses of your military and learn something.

Varun said:
What do you mean don't worry? These two 72-year old aunties need to be tied to a chair and made to see reason, be it 'your' country or 'my' country.
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Sorry but I'm kind of ignorant about what is going on in this thread. Can't these flights land next door in India, Afghanistan, China, etc? Also, flights that haven't flown over India are allowed to land, correct?
 
Stallion__ said:
Pakistan airspace is narrow and all of the three major airports are within 75 miles (which is nothing in aviation) of the Indian border. It's not desirable but Pakistan don't have a choice.
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What would Pakistan's reasoning be behind doing this? These flights will be landing in India and they will be seen as the saviors.

Imagine how the people on those planes must be feeling right now. Not a good situation to be in, especially if you're afraid of heights.
 
Bilal7 said:
Relax. You're embarrassing Pakistan here. Compare your childish posts to the mature responses of your military and learn something.



Sorry but I'm kind of ignorant about what is going on in this thread. Can't these flights land next door in India, Afghanistan, China, etc? Also, flights that haven't flown over India are allowed to land, correct?
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Lol. Some people showing their true colours now.
 
Bilal7 said:
What would Pakistan's reasoning be behind doing this? These flights will be landing in India and they will be seen as the saviors.

Imagine how the people on those planes must be feeling right now. Not a good situation to be in, especially if you're afraid of heights.
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When civil flights are operational, air force can carry out its activities only in restricted airspace. Under current circumstances, PAF needs an open playing field for surveillance and combat exercises.

Regarding diversions, since Pakistan has issued a NOTAM for its airspace closure, most of the flights that otherwise use Pakistan's airspace won't even depart or will file an alternate flight plan (not through Pakistan airspace). Only the ones that were in flight when Pakistan closed it's airspace had to divert. Majority of them would have reached their destination by now via alternate route or would have diverted to alternate airports for refuelling. No one is a saviour or delinquent here. Just regional civil aviation contracts being followed.
 
Bilal7 said:
Sorry but I'm kind of ignorant about what is going on in this thread. Can't these flights land next door in India, Afghanistan, China, etc? Also, flights that haven't flown over India are allowed to land, correct?
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Yes, they can land at any friendly airport that has a runway capable to accommodate them.

However, I was particularly concerned about 3 AI non-stops that received this news when they were well over Iran, having taken off from JFK/EWR/ORD 12-13 hours ago and burned a lot of fuel. They had to think quickly as they were hurtling toward Pakistan airspace while flying over the Iranian desert with the nearest 777 capable airport hundreds of miles away.

The ORD-DEL flight has diverted to Tashkent in the past when it got stretched due to headwinds in the winter, but it had already passed that waypoint when it received the NOTAM. It has since then made a mad dash for DWC (Dubai Al-Maktoum) and will be touching down safely in a few minutes. But fuel has entered well into reserve levels and it has declared a fuel emergency enroute.

I expect it along with the 2 others to tank up at DWC and head to BOM (not DEL). Let's see what happens. AI's DEL-SFO flight is heading East across the Himalayas, and the Europe flights are going through Gujarat.
 
Stallion__ said:
When civil flights are operational, air force can carry out its activities only in restricted airspace. Under current circumstances, PAF needs an open playing field for surveillance and combat exercises.

Regarding diversions, since Pakistan has issued a NOTAM for its airspace closure, most of the flights that otherwise use Pakistan's airspace won't even depart or will file an alternate flight plan (not through Pakistan airspace). Only the ones that were in flight when Pakistan closed it's airspace had to divert. Majority of them would have reached their destination by now via alternate route or would have diverted to alternate airports for refuelling. No one is a saviour or delinquent here. Just regional civil aviation contracts being followed.
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Thanks for the answer. Very informative.
 
Varun said:
Yes, they can land at any friendly airport that has a runway capable to accommodate them.

However, I was particularly concerned about 3 AI non-stops that received this news when they were well over Iran, having taken off from JFK/EWR/ORD 12-13 hours ago and burned a lot of fuel. They had to think quickly as they were hurtling toward Pakistan airspace while flying over the Iranian desert with the nearest 777 capable airport hundreds of miles away.

The ORD-DEL flight has diverted to Tashkent in the past when it got stretched due to headwinds in the winter, but it had already passed that waypoint when it received the NOTAM. It has since then made a mad dash for DWC (Dubai Al-Maktoum) and will be touching down safely in a few minutes. But fuel has entered well into reserve levels and it has declared a fuel emergency enroute.

I expect it along with the 2 others to tank up at DWC and head to BOM (not DEL). Let's see what happens. AI's DEL-SFO flight is heading East across the Himalayas, and the Europe flights are going through Gujarat.
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Stressful times for pilots everywhere. How much reserve fuel do planes normally tend to carry?
 
Bilal7 said:
Stressful times for pilots everywhere. How much reserve fuel do planes normally tend to carry?
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Enough to make it to the alternate + 1 hour holding over said alternate.

In this case, the alternate was JAI (Jaipur) which was pretty pointless when you had the slab of Pakistan in between.

The pilots on AI 126 in particular have earned their pay today.

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Coincidentally it is the SAME pilot who commanded a 77L during an ILS failure at JFK a few months ago.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5FTw9TQtw38" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pakistani airspace has partially restored, starting with <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Jinnah?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Jinnah</a> International Airport of Karachi.<br><br>Following flights have departed, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WY324?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WY324</a> KHI MCT<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EK601?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EK601</a> KHI DXB<br><br>Rest of the country airspace remains closed until further notice.</p>— Homeland Security Blog (@Homesecpak) <a href="https://twitter.com/Homesecpak/status/1100755296195170305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2019</a></blockquote>
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We need to be calm about this, but cannot trust Modi's India. It is not beyond them to shoot down a civilian plane and say "oops"
 
Syed1 said:
We need to be calm about this, but cannot trust Modi's India. It is not beyond them to shoot down a civilian plane and say "oops"
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And it will make Pakistan look "awful".

So its sensible to divert planes.

But at least all the planes have been diverted successfully without fuel issues which was my only worry.
 
Syed1 said:
We need to be calm about this, but cannot trust Modi's India. It is not beyond them to shoot down a civilian plane and say "oops"
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Nah that will never happen. If any government ever targets civilian aircraft that will be the end of that government. Even people in India will throw that government out minus the few psychos who will enjoy it.
 
big_gamer007 said:
Nah that will never happen. If any government ever targets civilian aircraft that will be the end of that government. Even people in India will throw that government out minus the few psychos who will enjoy it.
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What happen to an Iranian Airliner? Governments can do propaganda and lie; the Indian govt is good at that too.
 
King-Misbah said:
What happen to an Iranian Airliner? Governments can do propaganda and lie; the Indian govt is good at that too.
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The whole image that Indian government has made is that we are attacking terrorists and do not target even Pakistani military let alone civilians. Pakistani army is the one who sponsor terrorist who target our civilians..

This is the narrative which has been built up since last 20 years in I ternational community. Not even BJP is that stupid to attack a civilian airline.
 
Pakistan have gone over to the black side. #Pandya

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Only south western airspace is opened for now, which means flights from Karachi to gulf states have been given a go ahead. Aircraft of Omani, Emirates and Saudi Airlines have departed from Karachi.
 
Pakistani airspace partially restored, starting with Karachi: CAA

Pakistani airspace has been partially restored, starting with Karachi's Jinnah International Airport of Karachi, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced on Wednesday.

"North East & North Western airspace remains closed until further notice," added CAA via a tweet.

The aviation authority said more details would follow.

Earlier, the aviation authority made the announcement that airspace had been shut after the director general of Inter-Services Public Relations, the military's media arm, acknowledged the closure of Pakistan's airspace due to the prevailing security situation.

At the time of CAA's announcement on closure, Pakistani airspace, according to Flight Radar 24 — a global flight tracking service — was almost entirely empty.

According to CAA sources, three Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) were given special permission to land at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport upon arrival in Pakistani airspace.

The three flights given permission to land in Karachi were — PK 756 from Riyadh to Sialkot, PK 286 from Doha to Peshawar and PK 790 from Toronto to Lahore.

As per the source, the flights from long routes did not know about Pakistani airspace being closed and were given permission to land.

Earlier, an airport official had told DawnNewsTV that Peshawar's Bacha Khan International Airport was temporarily closed for commercial flights. The airport will be used for military purposes till it is reopened for commercial activities, the official said, adding that a red alert had also been issued.

"All civilian flight operation [have been] suspended," the official said.

Similar reports were received from the Lahore and Karachi airports.

Earlier, sources at the Karachi airport had told DawnNewsTV that Pakistan International Airlines' (PIA) New Delhi-bound flight PK-270 had been cancelled due to tensions at the Line of Control.

Another PIA flight, PK-709, scheduled to leave for Manchester from Lahore, had also been stopped from taking off, PIA sources added.

Indian news reports say that airports in the Indian-occupied Kashmir have also been closed for civilian traffic.

The Press Trust of India news agency says these airports are located at Srinagar, Jammu and Leh.

Civil administrator Baseer Khan, as per The Associated Press, has confirmed that the airport in Srinagar, the main city in Indian-occupied Kashmir, was closed and said it was a “temporary and precautionary measure.”

https://www.dawn.com/news/1466348/pakistani-airspace-partially-restored-starting-with-karachi-caa
 
Varun said:
[MENTION=137804]msb314[/MENTION] - you have got your wish. Pakistan have issued a NOTAM asking all airlines - Indian or otherwise - to not use their airspace if they have also overflown India in their flight path.

oLWyv4v.png


Even an SQ SIN-LHR is returning to DEL, and an EK DAC-DXB is veering way south, though the latter will have enough fuel to make it to DXB.
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Sorry buddy but just saw this - this is insanity!

No benefit of this whatsoever. I had advocated for banning Air India flights but not this nonsense.

I wonder how British Airways and Air France - both re-launching flights to Pakistan - are feeling about this :facepalm:
 
Look at FR24 - Pakistan is EMPTY bar a private SAAB 2000 over Quetta.

It's been close to a day. What are they playing at? Do their own people not need to fly?
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Since the existing NOTAM is effective until 2359 HRS of 28 February 2019, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pakistan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pakistan</a> airspace shall remain closed. <br><br>Please stay in touch with your airlines for timely update on any further changes. <br><br>PCAA regrets the inconvenience to its patrons. &#55356;&#56821;&#55356;&#56816; Paindabad! <a href="https://t.co/X84odwOHfp">https://t.co/X84odwOHfp</a></p>— CAA Pakistan (@AirportPakistan) <a href="https://twitter.com/AirportPakistan/status/1100977259324747776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2019</a></blockquote>
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The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has clarified that Pakistani airspace will continue to remain closed for commercial aviation until midnight on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the aviation authority had said that Pakistani airspace had been shut after the director general of Inter-Services Public Relations, the military's media arm, acknowledged the closure of Pakistan's airspace due to the prevailing security situation.

Later in the day, in a tweet which has since been deleted, the CAA had stated that commercial aviation had been partially restored, starting with Karachi's Jinnah International Airport of Karachi.

However, in another tweet in the early hours of Thursday morning, it retracted the "partial resumption" statement and said that the closure was in fact still intact.


At the time of CAA's announcement on closure on Wednesday, Pakistani airspace, according to Flight Radar 24 — a global flight tracking service — was almost entirely empty.

A screengrab of Flight Radar 24 depicting Pakistani airspace after it was closed for all commercial activities.
According to CAA sources, three Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) were given special permission to land at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport upon arrival in Pakistani airspace.

The three flights given permission to land in Karachi were — PK 756 from Riyadh to Sialkot, PK 286 from Doha to Peshawar and PK 790 from Toronto to Lahore.

As per the source, the flights from long routes did not know about Pakistani airspace being closed and were given permission to land.

Earlier, an airport official had told DawnNewsTV that Peshawar's Bacha Khan International Airport was temporarily closed for commercial flights. The airport will be used for military purposes till it is reopened for commercial activities, the official said, adding that a red alert had also been issued.

"All civilian flight operation [have been] suspended," the official said.

Similar reports were received from the Lahore and Karachi airports.

Earlier, sources at the Karachi airport had told DawnNewsTV that Pakistan International Airlines' (PIA) New Delhi-bound flight PK-270 had been cancelled due to tensions at the Line of Control.

Another PIA flight, PK-709, scheduled to leave for Manchester from Lahore, had also been stopped from taking off, PIA sources added.

Indian news reports say that airports in the Indian-occupied Kashmir have also been closed for civilian traffic.

The Press Trust of India news agency says these airports are located at Srinagar, Jammu and Leh.

Civil administrator Baseer Khan, as per The Associated Press, has confirmed that the airport in Srinagar, the main city in Indian-occupied Kashmir, was closed and said it was a “temporary and precautionary measure.”

https://www.dawn.com/news/1466348/pakistani-airspace-to-remain-closed-till-thursday-midnight
 
Airlines operating flights from East Asia to destinations in Europe are having to reroute their planes away from Pakistan and northern India.

The airspace is closed because of escalating tension between the two countries, following the shooting down of two Indian military jets.

Flights via Pakistan have been cancelled and other flights rerouted.

Thai Airways has taken the more drastic step of suspending all its flights destined for Europe.

With flight space south of Pakistan becoming crowded, the Bangkok-based airline has not been able to establish alternative routes for its flights.

"By closing the airspace, every flight from Thailand to Europe has been affected. For flights that are going to depart this evening, we will call an urgent meeting to consider the impact of such events," said Thai Airways president Sumeth Damrongchaitham.

Singapore Airlines and British Airways are among the operators which have had to reroute flights. Singapore Airlines said longer flight routes would make refuelling necessary.

Alex Seftel, who works as a journalist, was en route from Bangkok to London on Wednesday on a flight with Taiwanese operator Eva Air. The flight was turned back over Calcutta in northern India.

"We were on the flight, a couple of hours in, and I noticed on the flight route map that it was going in the opposite direction," he said.

"There was a lot of circling around and we had very little information until we got into the airport."

Back in Bangkok, passengers waited several hours for an explanation before being transferred to a hotel for the night, with a new flight provisionally scheduled for early Thursday.

Some international flights have been rerouted through Mumbai on India's western coast.

Mark Martin, founder and chief executive at Martin Consulting India, said about 800 flights a day used the India-Pakistan air corridor, making it "very critical".

"You can't overfly China, so you have to overfly Pakistan and India and go to South East Asia and Australia. Most of the traffic destined for Bangkok and Singapore will have to fly over Iran and then possibly take a detour," he said.

The recent flare-up between Indian and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir began when a suicide car bomb killed 40 Indian paramilitary police on 14 February. India retaliated with an airstrike on what it said was a militant training base on Tuesday.

Indian domestic airlines, including IndiGo, Go Air, Jet Airways and Vistara, cancelled services in northern India because of airport closures, although Indian airports later resumed operations.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-47392300
 
PIA flights to KSA, UAE to resume on 'priority basis'

"Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights to Saudi Arabia and UAE are being resumed on a priority basis after the Pakistani airspace opened temporarily," the national flagbearer announced in a press release on Thursday.

PK-731, headed to Jeddah, will take off from Karachi at 6pm, PK-213 (Karachi-Dubai) will take off at 10pm, PK-747 (Karachi-Medina) will leave at 6pm and PK-245 (Karachi-Dammam) will fly at 11pm, PIA's spokesperson Mashhod Tajwar said. He, however, requested passengers to call PIA's helpline before leaving for the airport.

The CAA, meanwhile, has said that Pakistani airspace will continue to remain closed for commercial aviation until midnight.

https://www.dawn.com/live-blog/#1466678
 
Pakistan still light years away from restoring normalcy.

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Closing down every single airport is a dumb move. No offense.
 
For those of you in Karachi, if it's useful:

Oman Air has cancelled its double daily service.

Etihad has cancelled its night flight.

Emirates have cancelled all their flights as have Flydubai.

Entire PAK air space is officially closed till 6PM PST tomorrow for the time being.
 
Pakistan still not coming out of the dark side.

s7U2a8v.png


It's becoming a bit of a joke.
 
Varun said:
For those of you in Karachi, if it's useful:

Oman Air has cancelled its double daily service.

Etihad has cancelled its night flight.

Emirates have cancelled all their flights as have Flydubai.

Entire PAK air space is officially closed till 6PM PST tomorrow for the time being.
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No one is complaining. Pakistanis will do what it takes to protect their skies and if it means clear skies to be able to see their threats, that's ok.
 
MenInG said:
No one is complaining. Pakistanis will do what it takes to protect their skies and if it means clear skies to be able to see their threats, that's ok.
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Personally I wouldn't bother. Our MiG-21 Bisons are capable of slamming down to terra firma by themselves, don't need the PAF to do anything spectacular.
 
Flight operation allowed on specific routes only till 4th March. Lahore airport however will stay closed.
 
My family are at Islamabad airport waiting in hope that today’s PIA plane miraculously takes off. I don’t understand the need for airspace being restricted other than attracting international attention as Pakistan is on a key world flight path.
 
Varun said:
Pakistan still light years away from restoring normalcy.

Z67TPzt.png


Closing down every single airport is a dumb move. No offense.
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You are right.Like what is the purpose of not having flight in quetta and Peshawar though it is understandble for lahore and sialkoat.
 
Is Pakistan okay to shut it's entire air space for so many days? It's a serious loss of revenue! Just read somewhere that it's not completely open till MON :facepalm:
 
AamchiMumbaikar said:
Is Pakistan okay to shut it's entire air space for so many days? It's a serious loss of revenue! Just read somewhere that it's not completely open till MON :facepalm:
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Dont bomb our forests next time :p

Actually shows how Pakistan is the gateway to Asia/ Central Asia / Arabia :)
 
Heard there was an insane backlog of Pakistani passengers at airports world wide especially in Dubai. Even if the Air space is finally opened, it will take a while to get these guys to their destinations.
 
RAWALPINDI: After some 54 hours, Pakistan partially opened four of its airports for flight operations on March 1. The facilities were made available at 6pm on Friday for international and domestic routes, and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) directed its staff to ensure maximum presence.

However, other airports — including Lahore, Sialkot, and Multan — are slated to be opened for flight operations on March 4 at 1pm.

On Friday, the CAA issued a fresh notice to airmen (NOTAM) stating that the country’s airspace will remain closed till March 4, except for Karachi Interna*tional Airport, Peshawar International Airport, Que*tta International Air*port and Islamabad Interna*tional Airport — with restricted entry and exit. Following the CAA’s fresh NOTAM, the managers of the four international airports referred to a circular saying that flight operations had become operational on March 1. “It is expected that there will be a backlog of passengers,” says the circular. “To smoothly manage operations, the management would require the presence of the staff and officers.”

Soon after flight operations were resumed, a Serene Air flight, which is a privately owned airline, took off from Islamabad airport with 156 passengers on board, at about 6:10pm. However, sources say that due to the confusion, the number of passengers was lower that the seating capacity of the plane.

Pakistan closed its airspace at 12.30 pm on Wednesday due to the prevailing security situation with India, leaving thousands of air travellers affected due to the cancellation of their flights.

From the Islamabad International Airport, PIA flight PK-261 was scheduled to depart for Abu Dhabi at 11 pm, while PK-233 was slated for Dubai at 12.30 am and Air Blue flight PA-272 for Jeddah at 11 am (today).

PIA spokesperson Mashood Tajwar told Dawn that the airline resumed normal flight operations, with PK-370 from Karachi to Islamabad that departed at 7pm on Friday. He added that subsequently, three more flights are to depart for Jeddah, Madina and Dubai, all from Karachi. In line with the instructions of federal aviation minister Mian Soomro, Mr Tajwar explained, airline CEO Air Marshal Arshad Malik has been supervising flight operations. “Though it is a daunting task to accommodate stranded passengers, PIA management will facilitate all its passengers and will take care of them,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2019

https://www.dawn.com/news/1467100/four-airports-reopened-after-hiatus-of-54-hours
 
It remains to be seen whether Pakistani airspace will be re-opened for Indian and neutral flights once things are back to normal.
 
My mother has had to suffer a lot because her exit re-entry visa is expiring on Tuesday and there is a difficulty in procuring a ticket. We got a ticket, She has had to go to Islamabad, and her flight was just delayed further last night.. I just hope it's not canceled again like the last two bookings she had.
 
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My wife and parents are on a flight back from Islamabad following the flight restrictions. No more beans on toast and vacuuming!
 
Flights partially resume at Lahore airport

Flights partially resumed at Lahore's Allama Iqbal International Airport early on Sunday morning after being suspended for over 80 hours amid soaring tensions between India and Pakistan.

Over the past four days "more than 400 flights and 25,000 passengers" were affected due to the closure of Pakistani airspace, after the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) knocked down two intruding Indian warplanes. DG ISPR Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor had announced that the airspace had been closed due to the prevailing "[security] environment".

Indian news outlets had reported that airports in the Indian-occupied Kashmir were also closed to commercial flights. The Press Trust of India news agency had said that these airports were located at Srinagar, Jammu and Leh.

Although flights had partially resumed at other major international airports in Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar and Quetta on March 1, Lahore airport had remained closed.

A Notice to Airmen (Notam) issued by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) today said that flight operations to and from Lahore airport, had resumed along existing routes.

The notice said that flight operations at Lahore are expected to resume completely by March 8, 11:59pm (GMT). Flight operations at the other major international airports have returned to normalcy.

Pakistan International Airlines spokesperson, Mashood Tajwar, said yesterday that normal flight operations at other major airports in Punjab, including Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad and Sialkot, are expected to resume by tomorrow.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1467396/flights-partially-resume-at-lahore-airport

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Flight operations to & from Allama <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iqbal?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Iqbal</a> International Airport <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Lahore?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Lahore</a> resume under restricted airspace along with existing NOTAM.<br><br>Please contact your airline for further details.<br><br>Other airports in Gilgit Baltistan, Punjab & interior Sindh region remain closed. &#55356;&#56821;&#55356;&#56816; <a href="https://t.co/PiGw1mPShY">pic.twitter.com/PiGw1mPShY</a></p>— CAA Pakistan (@AirportPakistan) <a href="https://twitter.com/AirportPakistan/status/1102067042373386240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">UPDATE: Faisalabad international airport is open for air traffic. Gulf Air operated a flight that will go back shortly. FZ343 of ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/flydubai?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@flydubai</a>⁩ approaching. <a href="https://t.co/USrVjId475">pic.twitter.com/USrVjId475</a></p>— Tahir Imran Mian ✈ (@TahirImran) <a href="https://twitter.com/TahirImran/status/1102504556192296960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Pakistan airspace fully reopened, says aviation authority

Pakistan fully reopened its airspace on Monday, authorities said, days after it closed its skies to all air travel, leaving thousands stranded worldwide as tensions with nuclear arch-rival India soared.

The decision to close the airspace came last Wednesday after a rare aerial dogfight between India and Pakistan over the disputed territory of Kashmir ignited fears of an all-out conflict, with world powers rushing to urge restraint.

Both sides claimed to have shot each other's warplanes down, and one Indian pilot was captured. He was returned to India Friday, crossing the Wagah border on foot.

“All airports across Pakistan are operational and airspace reopened,” a spokeswoman for the Civil Aviation Authority told AFP on Monday, adding the process had been completed by 1:00 pm (0800 GMT).

The closure disrupted major routes between Europe and South Asia, with mounting frustration from passengers stranded at international airports.

It also delayed attempts to search for a British and an Italian climber who went missing on Nanga Parbat, Pakistan's “killer mountain” and the ninth highest peak in the world, as rescue teams were forced to wait for permission to send up a helicopter.

The climbers, Daniele Nardi and Tom Ballard, were last heard from on February 24. Fresh rescue attempts had to be called off over the weekend due to bad weather amid growing fears for their survival.

Pakistan began reopening its airspace “gradually” from Friday, with flights allowed in and out of major cities.

But the backlog means major delays are still expected and authorities have urged passengers to check for more information with their airlines.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1467600/pakistan-airspace-fully-reopened-says-aviation-authority
 
Whaz happened to the passengers who missed their flights in the past few days. Do they get any sort of compensation and from whom?
 
They call this fully reopened? They have as many planes over their skies as there used to be in the 1950s.

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CAA issues notice for airspace closure

RAWALPINDI: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued on Wednesday a fresh NOTAM (notice to airmen) intimating that the country’s airspace would remain closed till 1pm on Thursday (today).

However, flight operations to and from Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta international airports, and partially from Lahore and Faisalabad with restricted routes, are continuing.

Flight operations from Multan, Chitral, Punjgur, Turbat and Gwadar airports were restarted on Wednesday with restricted air routes, after having remained suspended for seven days, a spokesperson for the PIA told Dawn.

According to a senior CAA official, flight operations from Sialkot, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Dera Ismail Khan airports could not be initiated on March 5 due to ‘security concerns’, while flights on the eastern routes remain suspended. “Flights from airports on the [Pakistan-India] border cannot resume until clearance is given by the authorities concerned.” However, he added, given that the Pakistan Navy blocked an intrusion attempt by an Indian submarine recently, clearance may not be given even on Thursday.

Earlier, the CAA had said that Pakistan’s airspace would remain closed till 1pm on March 5 (Tuesday), but flight operations to and from Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta international airports, and partially from Lahore and Faisalabad with restricted air routes, would continue.

The CAA official said that due to restrictions on air routes, a flight from Islamabad to Karachi that flew direct and took just under two hours was currently taking nearly three hours, flying over Balochistan.

According to the CAA official, all international airlines being operated from Gulf countries have been operating normally, but Thai Airways has so far not resumed its flights to Pakistan because they use Indian airspace.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1468059/caa-issues-notice-for-airspace-closure
 
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