Following a de-escalation of tensions after a ceasefire agreement with India, Pakistan has reopened its airspace for all types of flights. On Saturday evening (May 10), the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) announced that the country’s airspace is now fully operational for all flights, as reported by Dawn News.
A PCAA spokesperson stated that all airports across the country are ready to resume normal flight operations. Passengers were advised to check the latest flight schedules with their respective airlines. However, a full return to normalcy may take some time, as aircraft and equipment had been relocated for safety during the period of heightened tensions.
Authorities confirmed that aircraft are being returned to their operational zones. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has also resumed its flight operations following the reopening of airspace.
A PIA flight (PK-750) from Paris to Islamabad was forced to land in Quetta on Saturday morning due to the closure. The airline’s spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez Khan confirmed that the flight would depart for its original destination at 9 PM and that all other PIA flights would resume from 10 PM. Passengers who had returned home or gone to hotels were being contacted to return to the airport.
PIA issued a statement apologizing for the inconvenience caused by the airspace closure and flight delays, explaining that precautionary measures were necessary under the circumstances.
Due to the disruption in flight operations over the past few days, hundreds of passengers were stranded both in Pakistan and abroad.
On Wednesday, India launched strikes targeting airbases in Rawalpindi, Chakwal, and Shorkot, prompting Pakistan to completely close its airspace. As tensions escalated, several international airlines, including Air France and Lufthansa, suspended flights over Pakistani airspace or rerouted their paths.
The airspace closure followed a missile attack by India on Pakistan, reportedly in retaliation for a militant attack in Pahalgam on April 22. Since then, both countries had intermittently closed their airspace.
