Karachi, Lahore airspace to face temporary restrictions for security reasons

Pakistan has announced the closure of specific portions of its Karachi and Lahore Flight Information Regions (FIRs) for a limited time each day during May, citing security concerns, aviation authorities said on Thursday.

According to an official notice, the restricted airspace will be closed daily from 4:00am to 8:00am local time between May 1 and May 31.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the closure will not significantly disrupt commercial flight operations, as aircraft will be rerouted via alternative flight paths during the restricted hours.

The decision affects selected corridors within the FIRs rather than a complete shutdown, and is being implemented as a precautionary security measure, officials added.

Authorities confirmed that air traffic in and out of major airports such as Jinnah International in Karachi and Allama Iqbal International in Lahore will continue with minimal adjustments.

Yesterday, Air traffic control authorities issued new directives to monitor all flight movements, including foreign airlines transiting through Pakistani airspace.

For security reasons, all commercial flights scheduled to operate to and from Gilgit and Skardu on Wednesday have been cancelled.

Officials said the measures are precautionary and aimed at ensuring national airspace security during a period of elevated regional tension.

Moroever, in the wake of heightened tensions between Pakistan and India following the recent incident in Pahalgam, authorities in Pakistan have placed all airports across the country under high alert, significantly ramping up security and surveillance protocols.

According to aviation sources, strict monitoring has begun of all foreign airlines operating flights that either transit through or originate from Indian airspace. While Indian airlines remain banned from operating in Pakistan, flights from other international carriers continue under increased scrutiny.

Controllers have been directed to demand air defence clearance numbers from pilots of any suspicious aircraft prior to departure. No aircraft will be cleared without proper documentation and identification.