Pakistan extends airspace ban for Indian aircraft till June 14

Islamabad: Pakistan on Wednesday extended the ban on India using its airspace for commercial flights till June 14, authorities have said.

Dunya News quoted a spokesperson for Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as saying, "The closure will continue until June 14."

Pakistan had fully shut its airspace on the eastern border with India after an Indian Air Force carried out aerial airstrikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp in Balakot on February 26.

The strikes were in response to the terror attack in Pulwama, in which about 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives on February 14.

In March, the country partially opened its airspace for all flights but not for 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 because they cannot fly over Pakistan.

The closure mainly affects flights from Europe to Southeast Asia.

Pakistan lies in the middle of a vital aviation corridor whereby the airspace restrictions, which have been continuing since a long time, impacts hundreds of commercial flights each day, extending flight timings for passengers, as well as fuel costs for airlines.