Flights between the UAE and Pakistan resumed after Pakistani authorities reopened its airspace on Saturday following a ceasefire agreement with India that brought days of deadly cross-border hostilities to a halt.
However, the situation is tentative after India and Pakistan traded accusations of ceasefire breaches early on Sunday, hours after US President Donald Trump announced the nuclear-armed neighbours had stepped back from the brink of war.
India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said his country retaliated after Pakistan's “repeated violations” of the truce, while Pakistan said it “remains committed” to the ceasefire and that its troops were handling violations by India with “responsibility and restraint”.
Services resumed
Emirates, flydubai, Etihad Airways and Air Arabia confirmed the restoration of services on May 11, with several scheduled flights departing from Dubai to Pakistani cities including Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.
The news comes as a relief to passengers whose plans were disrupted after Pakistan shut its airspace and India partially closed its own amid escalating military tension.
“All airports across the country are now available for regular flight operations," Pakistan's airports authority announced minutes after the ceasefire announcement.
“Following the reopening of Pakistan's airspace, Emirates will recommence its regularly scheduled operations to and from Pakistan,” the Dubai-based airline said on its website.
It confirmed five routes so far have been reinstated, including services to Karachi (EK600/601), Sialkot (EK618/619) and Lahore (EK622/623) on May 11, followed by Islamabad (EK612/613) and Peshawar (EK636/EK637) on May 12 and 13, respectively.
Finding flights
Mohammad Ali, a resident of Jhelum, in Pakistan's Punjab, was on his way to Islamabad when the news of the truce broke.
He was going there with his family, who live in Abu Dhabi, to get closer to the airport once flights resume and to escape shelling that happened nearby.
"All the houses near the river [in Jhelum] were on high-alert," he told The National. "We had to leave the hometown for safety reasons."
But with the expectation that many are in a position similar to his, Mr Ali did not make his way to the airport to buy tickets.
"Thousands want to leave the country. Finding tickets would be impossible," he said.
Continued monitoring
Flydubai also resumed operations. “Flydubai flights to Pakistan and Afghanistan on 11 May are operating. We are monitoring the situation closely and amending our flight schedule accordingly,” a representative said.
Etihad Airways’ services to Pakistan were restored, with select flights operating on Sunday, including to and from Islamabad (EY300 / EY301), Karachi (EY294 / EY295) and Lahore (EY288 / EY289).
Flights EY296 / EY297 to Karachi were cancelled, as well as flights EY302 / EY303 to Islamabad. Flights EY297 and EY303 were scheduled to operate in the early hours of Monday.
“All scheduled services between Abu Dhabi and Pakistan on 12 May are planned to operate except EY297 and EY303, as noted above,” Etihad said on its website.
“This remains an evolving situation and further changes or disruptions may occur. Etihad continues to monitor developments closely in co-ordination with the relevant authorities.”
Meanwhile, Air Arabia said that it had fully resumed operations.
“Following the reopening of Pakistan’s airspace, Air Arabia flights to and from Pakistan has fully resumed starting May 11,” the airline said.
Ceasefire brings back hope
The return of flights follows a turbulent week of missile and drone attacks exchanged between the nuclear-armed neighbours, leading to the death of 60 people, suspension of air travel across large parts of both countries and forced thousands from their homes along the border, including in divided Kashmir.
“After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire. Congratulations to both countries on using common sense and great intelligence,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Following the ceasefire, Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority announced the reopening of all airports for regular operations.
India had announced the closure of 32 airports in the northern and western parts of the country, and suspended 25 air route segments until May 15, as previously reported by The National.
