On January 18, 2024, media outlets broadcast news based on sources claiming that the Civil Aviation Authority advised airlines not to use Iranian airspace. However, an authority spokesperson denied any such news.
Civil Aviation Authority’s instructions to airlines on using Iranian airspace
The iVerify Pakistan team has checked this content and has established that it is false since the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has not implemented any restrictions on any incoming air traffic.
To arrive to this verdict, the iVerify Pakistan team contacted the CAA spokesperson to get clarification on the claim.
On January 18, 2024, TV channel ARY News was among the channels that broadcast news, based on sources, claiming that the CAA instructed airlines not to use Iranian airspace.
The title of the video uploaded to the channel’s YouTube account was: “PAK-Iran Conflict: Pakistani airlines instructed not to use Iranian airspace, sources”
The same news was published on the website of BOL News on Jan 18 with the title: “CAA forbids Pakistani airlines to utilise Iranian airspace”
Similarly, the following message was also doing the rounds on social media platforms since Jan 18:
“Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has advised the national and domestic air carriers of Pakistan to avoid use of Iran’s airspace, considering the safety and malfunctioning control situation of Iranian air defence systems seen in the past.”
The message was shared on social media platform X by different users here and here with view counts of 15,000 and 10,000, respectively.
The iVerify Pakistan team sought to determine the veracity of the claim due to the public’s keen interest in relations between Iran and Pakistan because of the current diplomatic crisis. Furthermore, the issue concerns the public interest regarding information about flights.
Investigating the news, the iVerify Pakistan team reached out to Dawn.com correspondent Hasaan Ali Khan.
The correspondent procured a statement issued on Jan 18 from CAA spokesperson Saifullah regarding the matter.
The notification’s text is reproduced below:
“All flights are monitored as per the standard operating procedures. There is no restriction on any incoming air traffic to the country.”
Additionally, the iVerify Pakistan team checked any flight disruptions on Sweden-based online tracker Flightradar24 for Jan 18 for Pakistan’s airports but found none.
According to a Dawn.com report, Iran on Jan 16 had launched attacks in Pakistan targeting what it described as bases for the militant group Jaish al-Adl in the border town of Panjgur in Balochistan.
The incident prompted strong condemnation from Islamabad, a downgrading of diplomatic ties as well as subsequent counter-strikes by Pakistan in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province.
The Iranian strikes were part of a series of attacks carried out by Iran in recent days in Syria and Iraq as a response to recent terrorist attacks on its territory.
The iVerify Pakistan team has determined that the alleged news broadcast based on sources and subsequently circulated on social media regarding a restriction on using Iranian airspace is false.
The conclusion was reached after an official CAA spokesperson denied the news and said there was no restriction on any incoming traffic from any direction.
