By Sucheta Roy
India has extended the closure of its airspace for Pakistani aircraft till October 24. On the other hand, Pakistan has also closed its airspace for the Indian aircraft. Both countries have closed their airspace for each other’s planes after the Pahalgam terror attack in April.
India and Pakistan have issued separate notices to Airmen for extending their airspace closures.
While India and Pakistan have banned each other’s airlines and aircraft, their respective airspace remains open for overlying other countries’ airlines and aircraft. This closure has led to many operational challenges like increased flight durations for journeys extended by 15 minutes to several hours depending on the destination, it has also led to higher fuel consumption, and increased complexities in crew and flight schedules.
The impact of India’s airspace closure has been rather insignificant on Pakistan, because Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the country’s main carrier, has a limited International presence and is currently struggling unlike India’s rapidly growing aviation sector.
For Indian airlines, the scenario is a little different. All major Indian carriers operate international flights to countries west of India and many of these previously utilised Pakistani airspace. Air India has recently informed the government that the ongoing Pakistani airspace closure is projected to cost the airline approximately $600 million on an annual basis.