The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has made an important clarification. According to a spokesperson, no decision has been made about banning Iran’s airspace.
Flight Monitoring and Bilateral Tensions
The spokesperson further stated that the CAA hasn’t received any orders to ban commercial flights between Iran and Pakistan. However, CAA sources have disclosed heightened monitoring of flights from the western direction, including those from Iran. Sources emphasized, “All airborne activities on the country’s western borders are being thoroughly monitored.” This increased vigilance is a response to instructions for extra alertness for incoming flights from the west.
Notably, such strict monitoring of flights from the west was not a standard practice before. Despite this increased surveillance, CAA sources confirmed that Pakistan and Iran’s airspace remains open for commercial flights.
These developments follow recent escalations in bilateral tensions. Iran conducted a missile strike in Pakistan on Tuesday night, prompting Pakistan to respond with retaliatory strikes within Iran on Thursday morning. In a significant diplomatic move on Wednesday, Pakistan condemned the Iranian strikes, recalled its ambassador from Iran, and prevented Tehran’s envoy from returning to Islamabad.
