EASA issues risk alert for Pakistan flights

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has advised airlines not to fly below FL 260 altitude while flying over Lahore and Karachi due to the “current security situation in Pakistan”.

EASA in its latest advisory noted that “there is a continued possible threat to civil aviation resulting in a high risk to operation at altitudes below FL 260”.

It said: “Additionally, Kashmir region remains the site of 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, particularly in the FIR Lahore (OPLR).”

EASA has advised air operators to 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.

Meanwhile, Aircraft Owners and Operators Association of Pakistan (AOOA) rejected the EU’s advisory.

“AOOA disagree with the advisory of EASA as it’s just over boarding and creating an excuse to exclude Pakistan from an economic activity by creating scares.”

“Not only the airspace but all the airports in Pakistan are safe for flight operations and several commercial and private flights operate in Pakistan on daily basis,” it added.

It is pertinent to mention here that the agency had also issued a similar advisory in November last year.