By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has extended its ban on Indian aircraft using its airspace until Dec. 24, according to a notice to airmen issued on Thursday, four days before the previous restriction was due to expire.
The new NOTAM, effective from 2:50 pm Pakistan time on Nov. 19 until 4:59 am on Dec. 24, applies to all Indian-registered aircraft and any aircraft owned, operated, leased or chartered by Indian airlines or individuals, including military flights. The closure covers both the Karachi and Lahore flight information regions from ground level to unlimited altitude.
Pakistan and India have barred each other’s carriers from their airspace since late April, when New Delhi suspended the Indus Waters Treaty after a militant attack in Pahalgam, in the portion of Indian occupied Kashmir, that killed 26 people. India accused Pakistan of backing the attackers, an allegation Islamabad strongly denied and offered to investigate jointly through a neutral party.
The crisis escalated into the most intense military clash between the nuclear-armed neighbours in decades in early May. Pakistan shot down several Indian jets during the fighting.
Pakistan most recently renewed the airspace closure in mid-October, setting a Nov. 24 expiration. Thursday’s extension ensures the restriction will remain in place through the busy year-end travel season.
The ban has exacted a heavy financial toll on both countries’ aviation sectors. Air India, the only Indian carrier with a significant long-haul network, has told the Indian government that the closure is costing it as much as $455 million a year in additional fuel and lost efficiency.
Fuel costs on some routes have risen by up to 29 percent and flight times by as much as three hours, according to a document the Tata Group-owned airline submitted to officials in late October. The carrier reported a $439 million loss for fiscal 2024-25.
Air India is now pressing New Delhi to persuade Beijing to open a sensitive military airspace corridor in Xinjiang so its Europe- and North America flights can take shorter eastern routes over China instead of detouring far to the south. Other Indian carriers, including IndiGo, have also been forced to reroute international flights, adding to fuel bills and delays.
Pakistan has felt the pain as well. The Pakistan Airports Authority recorded a Rs4.1 billion revenue shortfall in August alone, just over two months after it first barred Indian-registered aircraft. Neither side has signaled willingness to lift the reciprocal bans, which remain one of the most visible remnants of the April-May crisis.
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