Pakistan’s civil aviation authority has partially re-opened the country’s airspace, allowing travel to four major cities.
The move is another sign that tensions with rival India are de-escalating.
The agency issued a statement on Friday saying all domestic and international flights will be allowed to and from the cities of Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar and Quetta.
As a true statesman, Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan announced that #Pakistan will release Indian Air Force Pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman tomorrow as a peace gesture. pic.twitter.com/4nIbd6szk6
— Govt of Pakistan (@pid_gov) February 28, 2019
It says other airports, including the one located in the eastern city of Lahore that borders India, will remain closed until March 4.
Islamabad closed its air space on Wednesday after saying that Pakistan’s military shot down two Indian warplanes and captured a pilot, escalating tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals.
The pilot is expected to be handed back to India later in the day, a move Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said was a gesture of peace.
