According to reports, Pakistan is not going to open its airspace to commercial airlines until India initiates de-escalation. Pakistan’s Aviation Secretary Shahrukh Nusrat has informed a parliamentary committee that Pakistan’s airspace will open after India removes its fighter jets deployed at the forward IAF airbases.
Following the airstrikes on Jaish-e-Muhammad training camp in Balakot conducted by the IAF on February 26 in retaliation to the ghastly Pulwama attack, Pakistan had fully closed its airspace indefinitely. The closure of Pakistani airspace has affected almost 400 flights a day. This has cost about Rs 700 crore loss to Pakistan until June end, which is reeling under an unprecedented economic crisis.
The Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Aviation Secretary Nusrat on Thursday informed the Senate Standing Committee on Aviation that his department has intimated Indian officials that Pakistani airspace would remain unavailable for use by India until the country withdraws its fighter jets from forward positions.
Nusrat said, “We were approached by the Indian government officials requesting us to open our airspace. However, we raised our concerns that first India must withdraw its fighter planes placed forward.”