Pakistan Declares Nationwide Airspace Closure After Indian Airstrikes

Pakistan has completely closed its airspace to all air traffic until at least 12 pm (Pakistan time) on Sunday, May 11, due to the severe escalation of military tensions between India and Pakistan. The decision comes after both nations launched heavy strikes on each other's military installations during the course of the night and early Saturday.

The airspace was first closed from 3:15 am to 12 pm on Saturday morning after the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM). The suspension was prolonged till Sunday noon by a subsequent NOTAM. Following the statement, Pakistani airspace looked to be empty, with no plane traffic detected across it, according to flight tracking data.

The action follows India's early-morning precise strikes on nine Pakistani military installations as part of "Operation Sindoor" on Wednesday. New Delhi had already announced the temporary closure of 25 airports near the India-Pakistan border or at important Indian Air Force facilities in reaction to Pakistan's frequent drone and missile attacks against Indian military installations in the country's north and west. Originally planned to last until 5:29 am IST on Saturday, India increased the restrictions and added more airports to the list as tensions increased. As a result, 32 airports are now temporarily suspended from civil operations till May 15.

Pakistan has not yet closed its airports or airspace to civil aviation, even though it has been attacking India for a long time. India had accused Pakistan of deploying civilian aircraft as "shields" during an ongoing military battle and chastised it for permitting them to fly close to the international border. This changed overnight, though, when India used fighter jets to hurl precision weapons into the air and target six Pakistani military installations: Rafiki, Murid, Chaklala, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, and Juniya.

India launched the strikes in retaliation for what it described as Pakistan's "escalatory" and "provocative" attempts to invade Indian airspace, which the Indian military successfully thwarted. The majority of foreign aircraft had already started rerouting to avoid Pakistani airspace as hostilities escalated because of the growing threats. Limited air activity over Pakistan prior to Saturday's airspace suspension consisted mostly of domestic flights and a few foreign services to and from its airports.

All air travel over Pakistan is still blocked as a result of the complete airspace restriction, which is a major step in the current military standoff between the two neighbours that possess nuclear weapons.