ISLAMABAD: Pakistan reopened its airspace to all domestic and international flights on Saturday and resumed Hajj operations after a ceasefire agreement with India put pause to cross-border missile and drone attacks that disrupted regional travel and raised fears of a wider conflict this week. 

The reopening was announced after the two nations agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire deal that came less than 24 hours after Pakistan said India had struck three of its air bases, which led Islamabad to hit multiple bases in India in response, including a missile storage site in India’s north.

“Pakistan’s airspace has been completely restored for all types of flights,” the Pakistan Airports Authority said in a statement. 

“All airports in the country are available for normal flight operations,” it added, asking passengers to contact their airlines for updated schedules.

The religious affairs ministry separately said Hajj flights would now resume as per schedule. 

“A total of 10 Hajj flights were canceled due to the closure of flight operations from time to time,” a spokesman for the ministry said. “Flights cancelation affected the schedule of 2,290 pilgrims.”

So far, 19,669 Pakistani pilgrims had arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of the Hajj pilgrimage in early June, the spokesman added. 

Flights were grounded, rerouted or delayed across South Asia this past week as tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors escalated.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) suspended operations after halting ground services, while several foreign airlines — including Korean Air, EVA Air, and China Airlines — opted to avoid Pakistani airspace, citing security concerns.

The standoff between the two South Asian nuclear states was sparked by a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last month that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. India blamed Pakistan for the incident, though officials in Islamabad repeatedly denied any involvement and called for a neutral and impartial probe.

However, New Delhi launched missile strikes on what it called “militant training camps” in at least five Pakistani cities on Wednesday and the two nations have since variously exchanged drone and missile attacks as well as seen increased gunfights on their de facto border at disputed Kashmir.