Pakistan shuts airspace briefly after India’s Operation Sindoor

Following India’s Operation Sindoor on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Islamabad announced a 48-hour closure of its airspace to all air traffic on Wednesday, however, later reopened it.

Soon after India’s strikes, air traffic was stopped over Islamabad and Lahore. Flights were sent to Karachi. (REUTERS)

Soon after India’s strikes, air traffic was stopped over Islamabad and Lahore. Flights were sent to Karachi. Later, the entire airspace was closed for 48 hours as a precautionary measure, as reported by PTI news agency.

However, after eight hours, airspace was opened again by Pakistan’s aviation and domestic and international flights resumed in the morning. Most flights left from Jinnah Airport in Karachi or Lahore.

Shortly after, Lahore’s airspace was shut again for 24 hours.

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Jinnah Airport in Karachi saw huge crowds, as many delayed flights were departing or arriving.

A person from the Civil Aviation Authority said that flights from West Asia and other places were later running on time.

He also said that local flights were working again and would go on unless stopped later.

He added that a flight from Uzbekistan Airlines, flying from Tashkent, had reached Delhi by passing through Lahore.

On early Wednesday, Indian armed forces hit nine terror sites in Pakistan and PoK under Operation Sindoor in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, when 26 people were killed.

The Indian armed forces shared details about Operation Sindoor later on Wednesday, with Wing Commander Vyomika Singh saying at a press briefing, “Operation Sindoor was launched by the Indian Armed Forces to deliver justice to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and their families. Nine terrorist camps were targeted and successfully destroyed… The locations were so selected to avoid damage to civilian infrastructures and loss of any civilian lives.”