Muscat: Passengers flying from Oman to Pakistan were stranded, while those travelling to India faced unexpected delays, after both countries decided to temporarily shut their airspace, due to the tension between the two neighbours.
Pakistan’s entire airspace was closed to all commercial airliners, starting at 7.30am yesterday, and is expected to reopen at 11.59pm today, after Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), which is provided to air crew and airport staff, should they need to take precautions in case of risks posed to flights.
India also halted flights, to Srinagar, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Jammu, Leh and Amritsar, all of which share a border with Pakistan. This came after an air force jet was reportedly shot down during an alleged air raid by the Pakistan Air Force on Indian defence installations. Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed the nation and once again invited India to hold dialogues to defuse the situation.
Mohammed Zaeem, the General Secretary of the Pakistan Social Club in Oman, was expecting to take a flight from Islamabad to Multan, but was unable to do so because of the airspace closure.
“I came to Pakistan on vacation for two weeks as the final exams of my children at school just ended,” he told Times of Oman from Pakistan. “I am a resident of Islamabad, and we booked a domestic flight to travel to Multan at 11.30am to attend the wedding reception of my nephew. Everything went smoothly and we got our boarding passes. However, before take-off, we were informed that our plane had been delayed for an hour, and at 2pm we were informed that all airfields in Pakistan had been closed.”
“Despite the chaotic situation, authorities of Pakistan International Airline (PIA) were extremely cooperative,” he added. “They served snacks to all the passengers at the airport and provided connecting and international flight passengers with accommodation and food as well.”
All flights to Pakistan have been diverted to other airports, or have been ordered to turn back – sometimes mid-air – while domestic and international flights scheduled to depart from Pakistan have been grounded.
In addition, Indian flights that use Pakistani airspace to fly to the northern parts of the country will now face longer flying times, as they will need to take longer routes over the Arabian Sea before entering the Indian airspace.
27/02/19 Times of Oman
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Pakistan’s entire airspace was closed to all commercial airliners, starting at 7.30am yesterday, and is expected to reopen at 11.59pm today, after Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), which is provided to air crew and airport staff, should they need to take precautions in case of risks posed to flights.
India also halted flights, to Srinagar, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Jammu, Leh and Amritsar, all of which share a border with Pakistan. This came after an air force jet was reportedly shot down during an alleged air raid by the Pakistan Air Force on Indian defence installations. Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed the nation and once again invited India to hold dialogues to defuse the situation.
Mohammed Zaeem, the General Secretary of the Pakistan Social Club in Oman, was expecting to take a flight from Islamabad to Multan, but was unable to do so because of the airspace closure.
“I came to Pakistan on vacation for two weeks as the final exams of my children at school just ended,” he told Times of Oman from Pakistan. “I am a resident of Islamabad, and we booked a domestic flight to travel to Multan at 11.30am to attend the wedding reception of my nephew. Everything went smoothly and we got our boarding passes. However, before take-off, we were informed that our plane had been delayed for an hour, and at 2pm we were informed that all airfields in Pakistan had been closed.”
“Despite the chaotic situation, authorities of Pakistan International Airline (PIA) were extremely cooperative,” he added. “They served snacks to all the passengers at the airport and provided connecting and international flight passengers with accommodation and food as well.”
All flights to Pakistan have been diverted to other airports, or have been ordered to turn back – sometimes mid-air – while domestic and international flights scheduled to depart from Pakistan have been grounded.
In addition, Indian flights that use Pakistani airspace to fly to the northern parts of the country will now face longer flying times, as they will need to take longer routes over the Arabian Sea before entering the Indian airspace.
27/02/19 Times of Oman
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