17/04/2026 - The validity of the CZIB was extended until 31 July 2026. The description part was updated. No changes were made to the content of the recommendations.
31/07/2026, unless reviewed earlier.
Referenced publication(s):
Aeronautical Publications issued by Pakistan, by the Aviation Authorities of the neighbouring States and by the State of Operator.
Airspace of Pakistan, FIR Karachi (OPKR) and FIR Lahore (OPLR), over Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
Air operators:
- subject to the provisions of Commission Regulation (EU) 965/2012, planning to conduct operations in the affected airspace (EASA operators).
- third Country Operators authorised by EASA, when conducting operations under their TCO authorisation to and from the EU (TCO operators).
This CZIB is issued on the basis of information available to EU Member States and EU institutions.
Due to the current security situation in Pakistan with the presence of violent non-state actor groups (VNSAs), operating in particular in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan, with confirmed availability of anti-aviation weaponry and man-portable air-defence systems (MANPADS), there is a potential threat to civil aviation and a risk of misidentification resulting in a HIGH risk to operations at altitudes below FL 260 in the affected airspace. Although the main VNSA groups remain focused on targeting Pakistani security forces, such attacks might result in inadvertent risks to civil aviation.
Recurrent cross-border military activities along the border with Afghanistan also pose a risk to civil aviation, particularly in airspace adjacent to the border areas. Such activities may involve the use of military aircraft and air defence systems, increasing the risk of misidentification or miscalculation.
Additionally, the territorial dispute in the Kashmir region, with sporadic military operations, poses a potential risk of misidentification in case of military escalation, particularly in the FIR Lahore (OPLR).
Air operators should:
- Not operate in the airspace of Pakistan, FIR Karachi (OPKR) and FIR Lahore (OPLR), over Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces below FL 260.
- Closely monitor airspace developments in the region and follow all available aeronautical publications issued by Pakistan, or on their behalf by the Aviation Authorities of the neighbouring States, including information shared through the European Information Sharing and Cooperation Platform on Conflict Zones, alongside available guidance or direction from their national authorities.