Islamabad: Pakistan on Sunday extended the ban on its airspace for all Indian flights till June 28, authorities have said. Towards the end of May, Pakistan had extended for a fortnight the airspace closure for a fortnight which expired on June 14.
Pakistan had fully shut its airspace on the eastern border with India after an Air Force airstrikes on a JeM camp in Balakot on February 26. In March, the country partially opened its airspace for all, but Indian flights.
In mid-April, Pakistan also opened one of its 11 air routes for west-bound flights from India, and airlines such as Air India and Turkish Airlines have started using it. Since then, foreign carriers using Indian airspace have been forced to take costly detours asthey cannot fly over Pak. The closure mainly affects flights from Europe to Southeast Asia. Pak lies in the middle of a vital aviation corridor whereby the airspace curbs hit hundreds of commercial flights each day, extending flight timings for passengers, and fuel costs.
