PIA - Pakistan International Airlines (PK, Islamabad International) has resumed flight operations from select airports across Pakistan after the civil aviation authority (PKCAA) partially reopened Karachi International, Peshawar, Quetta, and Islamabad International to civilian traffic on Friday, March 1.

Pakistan sealed off its airspace on Wednesday, February 27, after an Indian Air Force raid on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) training camp in Balakot, located near the northern Pakistani border with India's Jammu & Kashmir state.

PIA's President and chief executive, Air Marshal Arshad Malik, said more than 400 flights and 25,000 passengers had been affected by the inadvertent grounding of the airline. As such, all PIA officers and staff had been directed to resume normal operations as quickly as possible.

During the closure, Malik said PIA had provided buses to passengers from Karachi to Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, and Islamabad. However, PIA's international services to select international destinations - in particular, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, Kuala Lumpur International, and Beijing Capital - will remain suspended for the time being.

The PKCAA has said it expects to fully restore Pakistan airspace from 1300L (0800Z) on Monday, March 4 onwards.

Aside from PIA's grounding, the closure of Pakistani airspace also forced the suspension/deviation of multiple Europe-Asia routes. Eurocontrol said in a statement to Reuters that a total of 400 flights had been affected.