SUNDAY TIMES ISLAMABAD:All flight operations across the country have been suspended till midnight, the Civil Aviation Authority said.
“Since the existing NOTAM is effective until 2359HRS of February 28 , Pakistan airspace shall remain closed. Please stay in touch with your airlines for timely update on any further changes,” the CAA tweeted.
Several airlines, including Emirates, Air Canada and Qatar Airways, have suspended flights to Pakistan owing to closure of its airspace.
Etihad, flydubai, Gulf Air, SriLankan Airlines and Air Canada also suspended services to the country and flight tracking portals showed Singapore Airlines, British Airways and others were forced to reroute flights.
Director General Inter-Services Public Relations Major General Asif Ghafoor in a media briefing on Wednesday said the decision to close the airspace had been taken due to the prevailing security situation.
Pakistan carried out air strikes and shot down two Indian military jets on Wednesday, a day after Indian warplanes “intruded” Pakistan airspace for the first time since a war in 1971, prompting leading powers to urge both of the nuclear-armed countries to show restraint.
Tension has been elevated since the Pulwama attack on February 14 in which over 40 Indian paramilitaries were killed in occupied Kashmir.