Flight operations temporarily suspended at major airports

The Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA) said on Thursday that flight operations at Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad and Sialkot airports have been temporarily suspended, in light of the current tension between Pakistan and India.

The PAA earlier announced closure of the airports till 12pm today, then the period of closure was extended till 6pm.

As a result, the authority added that passengers should stay in touch with relevant airlines for the latest situation,

Moreover, flight operations at Karachi and Islamabad Airport were also suspended till 12 noon today, the airport authority said.

According to the PAA, flight operations at Islamabad Airport were temporarily suspended due to operational reasons.

The authority took the decision amid heightened threats of India’s forces trespassing in the Pakistani airspace.

Furthermore, several, mostly Asian airlines, announced that they were cancelling and rerouting some flights following Indian strikes into Pakistan’s territory, escalating the crisis between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

Images from flight tracking websites after the attack showed a long line of airlines passing over Oman, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait, raising the possibility of airspace congestion.

Pakistani authorities said 57 international flights were operating in Pakistan’s airspace when India struck.