Islamabad, May 29: The authorities of Pakistan have on Wednesday decided to extend its airspace ban for the commercial flights until June 15, according to Sputnik news reports.
India and Pakistan had shut their respective airspaces to each other following an aerial strike on an alleged terror outfit camp in Pakistan’s region of Balakot by the Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets across Line of Control (LOC).
Earlier on May 16, Pakistan extended its airspace ban for international flights to India until May 30 as no progress, in this respect, has been yet made at the bilateral level. International flights from India are also banned from entering Pakistani airspace.
However, the airspace was opened to some flights but was yet to be reopened for Afghanistan flights en route to India.
Pakistan had fully closed its airspace on February 26 following the violation of its foreign boundary and airspace by IAF fighter jets. The development made after one of the worst terror attacks, Pulwama terror attack, on February 14, claimed by Pakistani based and backed Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, which claimed the lives of 44 CRPF personnel.
Afghanistan’s civil aviation authority has said the country was suffering an estimated revenue loss worth USD eight million just in a month affected by the closure of Pakistan’s airspace.
Due to Pakistan airspace closure, Kabul airlines, who have been using Iranian route for Kabul-New Delhi flights, has hiked the costs including time by two times. But, the airlines continued to receive losses in the country’s revenues.