ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) asserted that the country’s airspace is secure for all types of flight operations. This statement came shortly after a European air safety agency issued a warning to airlines regarding “high risk” while flying at low altitudes in Karachi and Lahore.
The Aircraft Owners and Operators Association of Pakistan (AOOA) also disputed the safety warning. It insists that Pakistan’s airspace is safe and protected against intrusions.
In an advisory, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) stated that due to the current security situation in Pakistan “with the presence of violent non-state actor groups with confirmed anti-aviation weaponry, possibly MANPADS (man-portable air-defence systems)”, a continued potential threat to civil aviation persisted, posing a high-risk situation for operations at altitudes below Flight Level (FL) 260, equivalent to 26,000 feet.
The advisory, also mentioned that the “Kashmir region remains the site of a territorial dispute with sporadic military operations posing a potential inadvertent risk to civil aviation due to a potential risk for misidentification in case of military escalation”, especially in the Lahore region.
The agency advised operators against conducting flights below FL 260 over Karachi and Lahore. It further adds that operators “should take this information and any other relevant information into account in their own risk assessments, alongside any available guidance or directions from their national authority as appropriate”.
However, a spokesperson from the Civil Aviation Authority reassured that flights’ operations in Pakistan’s airspace are safe.
The AOOA expressed opposition to the EASA’s safety circular directed at operators and urged its withdrawal. It said the advisory had “created an excuse to exclude Pakistan from economic activity by creating scares”.
Imran Aslam Khan, the association’s CEO, said,“Pakistan airspace is 100 per cent safe and protected against any intrusions,”
He emphasized that flight operations at the country’s airports were safe, and multiple commercial and private flights operated daily.
EASA Issues A Risk Alert For Flights To Lahore And Karachi
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued a non-binding advisory to airlines, recommending them not to fly below FL 260 altitude when flying over Lahore and Karachi. This advisory comes in light of the current security situation in Pakistan. It involves the presence of violent non-state actor groups armed with possible anti-aviation weaponry, including MANPADS (man-portable air-defense systems).
EASA’s latest advisory note states that there remains a continued potential threat to civil aviation operations. The advisory particularly mentions airlines flying at altitudes below FL 260.
