By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Airport Authority on Sunday scrapped an earlier notice to airmen that would have shut down arrivals and departures at Islamabad International Airport for two hours the following morning, assuring airlines that normal operations would continue uninterrupted.
“The earlier Notam regarding temporary airspace restrictions in the Lahore flight information region (FIR) and suspension of flight operations at Islamabad International Airport on 16 March (08:30am – 10:30am PKT) has been cancelled,” the authority said in a statement posted on X. “Normal operations will continue.”
The now-withdrawn Notam had designated specific segments of air traffic service routes inside the Lahore FIR as unavailable from the ground up to flight level 210 “due to operational reasons.” It also closed the airport to both incoming and outgoing traffic during the window and instructed arriving aircraft to carry enough extra fuel to handle possible holding delays.
The reversal marks the latest adjustment to Pakistan’s aviation notices in a period of heightened regional vigilance. Earlier this month, days after the Iran war began, the Pakistan Airport Authority issued a statement affirming that the country’s airspace remained “fully open, safe, and completely available for all civil aviation traffic.” That assurance followed a separate Notam declaring selected air traffic service route segments in both the Karachi and Lahore FIRs off-limits daily between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. from March 3 through March 31, again citing “operational reasons.” The authority later described that advisory as a “routine operational advisory.”
Aviation experts monitor such notices closely because even brief closures can force airlines to reroute flights, adjust schedules or absorb added fuel costs, particularly on long-haul routes passing through Pakistani airspace. Sunday’s cancellation removes any immediate disruption at the capital’s main gateway, one of the busiest in the country and a key hub for both domestic and international carriers.
The authority did not elaborate on the “operational reasons” behind either notice or explain why the restriction was lifted. Officials have not responded to requests for additional comment. The sequence of notices and clarifications comes as commercial aviation across South Asia and the Middle East continues to navigate the ripple effects of broader geopolitical developments, with airlines adjusting flight paths and fuel loads in response to shifting regional advisories.
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