Pakistan has partially reopened its airspace and permitted travel to four major cities, aviation officials said in a statement on Friday. The statement is another sign that tensions with India may be de-escalating. The four cities where domestic and international flights will be allowed to and from are Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar and Quetta, Pakistan’s civil aviation authority said in the statement. Other airports, including the one located in Lahore – which borders India and is Pakistan’s second most populous city – will remain closed until March 4, the statement said. PAKISTAN SHOOTS DOWN 2 INDIAN WARPLANES, PARADES CAPTURED PILOT ON VIDEO Islamabad closed its air space on Wednesday after Pakistan’s military reportedly shot down two Indian warplanes and captured a pilot. The closures snarled air traffic and heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals. GET THE FOX NEWS APP The pilot is expected to be handed back to Indian later Friday. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said the move was a gesture of peace. The Associated Press contributed to this report.<doc-sep>Islamabad partially reopened its skies on Friday following a two-day closure imposed after a military confrontation with India over the disputed Kashmir region. Pakistan has resumed commercial flights from major cities including Karachi, Islamabad, Quetta, and Peshawar, the Civil Aviation Authority tweeted on Friday. Flight operation to & from Islamabad, Quetta, Peshawar & Karachi will resume under restricted airspace.For more details please contact your airline.For #PCAA safety & comfort of PAX is of utmost priority for which inconvenience is regretted.May peace prevail & 🇵🇰 Paindabad! https://t.co/7W60Zd4Epc — CAA Pakistan (@AirportPakistan) March 1, 2019 However certain restrictions will remain in place until March 4, officials warned in a separate tweet. #Pakistan is to reopen its airspace with restrictions.Please contact your airline for further details & information.NOTAM issued until 4 March 19 0800 UTC. pic.twitter.com/6xA3oxoDiH — CAA Pakistan (@AirportPakistan) March 1, 2019 Pakistan closed its airspace on February 27 following the aerial encounters between Islamabad and New Delhi in the disputed region of Kashmir. India also shut down airports on its side of the UN-mandated Line of Control. The flight ban closed an important air route from Europe to Asia, leaving thousands of people stranded in airports across the world as major airlines had to reroute, delay, or cancel their flights. Also on rt.com All-out war with India would be ‘mutual suicide’, Pakistan FM says Hostilities between the nuclear-armed neighbors escalated after a terrorist attack on Indian soldiers killed at least 40, resulting in India launching an air raid over Pakistani territory on Tuesday. New Delhi claimed the jets bombed Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist camps. Aerial combat followed the next day, while the two sides also accused each other of shelling territories along the Line of Control. If you like this story, share it with a friend!<doc-sep>ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan resumed flights at more airports but delayed until Tuesday the reopening of its airspace nationwide, aviation authorities said, as tension with India eased after a standoff that brought the nuclear-armed neighbors to the brink of war. Pakistan shut its airspace last week, leaving thousands of travelers stranded and forcing carriers to reroute flights, but resumed partial operations at four airports on Friday. Two more airports have since opened, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said, adding that curbs were expected to be removed on Tuesday. “Some airports are open,” its spokesman, Mustafa Baig, told Reuters on Monday, adding that airports in the capital of Islamabad, the southern port of Karachi, and the cities of Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Faisalabad were partly functional. He did say not why the reopening of airspace, originally scheduled for Monday, had been delayed. The partial resumption of flights follows a week of tension that appears to be easing after Pakistan released an Indian pilot shot down during an aerial clash over the disputed Kashmir region on Wednesday. Flights between Asia and Europe were disrupted, stranding thousands of passengers, although airlines were later able to reroute through China many flights that normally pass over Pakistan. Flights from Singapore to Europe that usually cross Pakistan and Afghanistan, for example, were rerouted westwards over Oman, adding more than an hour’s flying time and boosting fuel costs. Iran also saw heavier use of its airspace, officials said. The twice-weekly Samjhauta Express train service linking the Indian capital of Delhi and the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore resumed on Sunday, after being suspended last week.<doc-sep>
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Four Pakistani airports were beginning partial operations on Friday and they will fully resume commercial flights on Monday, the Civil Aviation Authority said, after airports were closed when military tensions with India erupted earlier this week. Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar and Quetta airports were resuming some flights on Friday, with the remainder opening next week, a spokeswoman said. Airspace for all commercial flights would be re-opened on Monday at 1:00 p.m. (0800 GMT), she said. The re-opening of Pakistani airspace came amid signs the conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbors was cooling. On Friday, Pakistan handed back to India a pilot who was captured after his MiG-21 jet was shot down by a Pakistani fighter during an aerial clash over the disputed Kashmir region on Wednesday. The airspace closure disrupted not just Pakistan’s air transport but flights worldwide as airlines were forced to cancel or reroute flights to other destinations that pass over Pakistan. Flights between Asia and Europe were severely affected, with thousands of passengers stranded, although airlines were later able to reroute many flights through China that normally pass over Pakistan. Flights from Singapore to Europe that usually cross Pakistan and Afghanistan, for example, were re-routed westwards over Oman, adding over an hour’s flying time and higher fuel costs. Iran also saw heavier use of its airspace, officials said. Pan-European air traffic agency Eurocontrol said a total of 400 flights had been affected, with especially severe impact on Georgia and Azerbaijan and some effect on Poland.