ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan fully reopened its airspace Monday (March 4), days after it closed its skies to all air travel, leaving thousands stranded worldwide.
The decision to close the airspace came last Wednesday after Pakistan and India claimed to have shot each other's warplanes down.
One Indian pilot was captured, and he was returned to India Friday, crossing at the Wagah border checkpoint on foot.
Tensions initially erupted after a suicide bomber killed 40 Indian troops in Indian-administered Kashmir February 14. The Pakistani-based terror group Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) claimed responsibility.
"All airports across Pakistan are operational and airspace reopened," a spokeswoman for the Civil Aviation Authority told AFP Monday.
The closure disrupted major routes between Europe and South Asia, with mounting frustration from passengers stranded at international airports.
