Flight operations in Pakistan restored partially

KARACHI/LAHORE: Flight operations in Pakistan were partially restored on Wednesday evening, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said, after they were suspended in the wake of escalating border tensions between Pakistan and India.

The CAA said the Pakistani airspace has been restored partially, starting from Jinnah International Airport in Karachi. It said two flights, WY324 KHI MCT and EK601 KHI DXB, departed after the partial restoration of flight operations.

However, the north-eastern and north-western airspace of the country remains closed until further notice, the CAA added. Earlier in the day, the CAA had said that all flight operations in Pakistan will remain suspended till Thursday midnight.

Flight operations at Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Sialkot and Islamabad airports were suspended after the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) shot down two Indian aircraft inside Pakistani airspace earlier today and arrested an Indian pilot on ground.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) tweeted a few hours later that the Pakistani airspace had been closed until further notice. Director General Inter-Services Public Relations Major General Asif Ghafoor, in a media briefing following Pakistan's retaliatory action, said the decision to close the airspace had been taken "due to the environment".

India has also shut down at least six airports after the incident. Flight operations at Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot and Leh airports have been suspended. Airports in Chandigarh and Amritsar have also been closed. The entire air space north of Delhi was vacated, Press Trust of India reported.

Pakistan Air Force earlier on Wednesday shot down two Indian jets within its airspace, the military spokesperson said in a press conference hours after the retaliatory action. A day ago, Indian aircraft had intruded into Pakistani airspace from the Muzaffarabad sector and dropped their payload on what India claimed was a terrorist camp, before they were repelled by timely action from the Pakistan Air Force.