Pakistan has announced temporary restrictions on portions of its Karachi and Lahore Flight Information Regions (FIRs) throughout May, citing heightened security concerns, aviation authorities confirmed on Thursday. 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 clarified that the closure, affecting select corridors rather than entire FIRs, is unlikely to cause major disruptions to commercial air traffic. Aircraft will be rerouted along alternative flight paths to maintain smooth operations during the restricted hours.
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Authorities reassured that flight movements at major airports like Karachi’s Jinnah International and Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International will continue with minimal adjustments. However, as a precaution, all commercial flights to and from Gilgit and Skardu were cancelled on Wednesday, and strict new monitoring measures were issued for all flight movements, including foreign airlines transiting through Pakistani airspace.
These steps come in response to rising tensions with India following the Pahalgam incident. Pakistan has heightened security and surveillance at all airports nationwide and instructed air traffic controllers to rigorously verify clearances for any suspicious aircraft before allowing operations.
