Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority has strongly reacted to an advisory issued by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency regarding ‘safe’ flight altitudes over Pakistan.
A spokesperson for the CAA said that Pakistan is completely safe for all commercial flights and no special precautions need to be taken.
News reports had said that EASA had issued an advisory to flights passing over Lahore and Karachi to stay above 26,000 feet in order to stay safe. The advisory had bizzarely suggested that there were anti-aircraft guns and missiles that could pose danger to flights.
The advisory had said that there were ‘violent non-state actors’ that could use these weapons to target flights.
However, the CAA spokesperson said that no such threat had ever been communicated.
“EASA has not informed Pakistan of any threat to European airlines,” the spokesperson said.
The Aircraft Owners Operators Association also issued a strong reaction to the EASA advisory and called it ‘irresponsible’.
The last time the EASA had issued a similar advisory was in November when it advised flights over the country not to dip below 24,000 feet.
However, the body does not issue advice for any flights that operate from Pakistan.
