Pakistan has intensified monitoring its airspace among the increased security problems concerning the potential Indian aggression, announced aviation sources on Wednesday.
Air traffic control authorities have published new guidelines to monitor all flight movements, including foreign airlines passing through the Pakistani air space, Express News reported.
Sources have said that special attention was paid to the flights arriving from India or operated by Indian carriers.
Supervision of suspicious aircraft has been improved, and authorization for such flights will now require high level approval.
For security reasons, all commercial flights that should work towards and from Gilgit and Skardu on Wednesday have been canceled.
The officials said that the measures are precaution and aimed to ensure the security of the national airspace for a period of high regional tension.
MoroEver, following increased tensions between Pakistan and India following the recent incident in Pahalgam, the authorities in Pakistan placed all airports across the country under a high alert, considerably increasing security and surveillance protocols.
According to sources of aviation, strict surveillance has started all foreign airlines that operate flights that pass or come from Indian air space. While Indian airlines remain prohibited from operating in Pakistan, thefts from other international carriers continue under a meticulous examination.
Special instructions have been sent to air traffic controllers in all the main airports, including Allama IQBAL International Airport in Lahore.
The controllers were invited to demand the air defense customs numbers of the pilots of any suspicious aircraft before departure. No plane will be erased without documentation and appropriate identification.
In addition, all airport staff – including agents and employees of various departments – was sentenced at any time to transport valid departmental identity cards.
Individuals without identification are excluded from the premises of the airport in the context of increased vigilance.
Coordination between security agencies such as airport security force (ASF), police and other law enforcement organizations has also been strengthened to ensure a transparent response to any potential urgency.
