‘400 Flights Cancelled, 25000 Flyers Affected In Pakistan’: Airspace Closure Takes Heavy Toll On Islamic Nation

The flight operations resumed in Lahore from yesterday (3 March) after they were suspended on Wednesday (27 February) post the Indian airstrike in Balakot in retaliation to the Pulwama attack which was conducted by Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) - a terror outfit based in Pakistan.

Pakistan had re-opened its airspace over Rawalpindi and Lahore, which is near the India-Pakistan border, signalling that tensions between the two countries might be de-escalating.

Now, it’s reported that the Islamic nation will start flight operations from five other airports Sialkot, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Dera Ismail Khan from today (4 March).

This follows the return of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman of Indian Air Force on Friday (1 March) to India.

Over 400 flights and 25,000 passengers have reportedly been affected due to closure of airspace and suspended flight operations over the past four days.

“The backlog of passengers is varying because some people have rescheduled their travel plans and others cancelled their journeys,” a spokes­person for the PIA said, adding that the airline had resumed its international and ­domestic operations.

Also read: What If India Imposed A Naval Blockade On Pakistan?