Pakistani airspace has officially been closed for commercial flights, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced on Wednesday.
The aviation authority made the announcement on Twitter 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, Pakistani airspace, according to Flight Radar 24 — a global flight tracking service — was almost entirely empty.
Earlier, an airport official had told Dawn News TV 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.
Civil Aviation Authority of #Pakistan has officially closed its airspace until further notice & issued NOTAM. ?? pic.twitter.com/qGZBMiKxvG
— CAA Pakistan (@AirportPakistan) February 27, 2019
"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 Dawn News TV 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.”
