Pakistan partially restores airspace with restrictions

The commercial airspace in Pakistan was partially opened on Friday after it was closed earlier this week amid tensions with India, affecting thousands of flights worldwide.

Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said four Pakistani airports were resuming flight operations from Friday evening while the airspace in the rest of the country would remain closed until Monday.

Flight operation will resume from Islamabad, Quetta, Peshawar and Karachi at 6 p.m., the CAA said.

It added that with the exceptions of these airports, "the airspace will remain closed for all operations until March 4".

The country's airspace was closed on Wednesday following heightening tensions with India, leading to the cancellation of all national fights as well as diversion of international planes.

Thousands of people were stranded by affected airlines that not only land in Pakistan, but fly over its airspace -- one of the major routes from Southeast Asia into Europe.

Around 4,000 passengers had been affected in Thailand on Thursday due to the cancellation of more than 35 flights headed to or coming from Europe and Pakistan.

The CAA had earlier said that all flight operations across the country had been suspended till 5 a.m. on Friday.

--IANS

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