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India and Pakistan have extended the airspace ban on each other’s aircraft on Friday, prolonging the diplomatic tensions between the two neighbours who came close to a near-war conflict earlier this month.
India’s Civil Aviation ministry issued a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) stating that any Pakistani-registered, operated, owned or leased aircraft, including military flights, would be barred from entering or using Indian airspace through 23 June.
In Islamabad, Pakistan’s Airports Authority (PAA) said the restriction applied to “all aircraft registered, operated, owned or leased by India”, including military planes until 4.59am local time on 24 June.
“Under the directive, no flight operated by Indian airlines or operators will be allowed to enter or transit through Pakistani airspace," the PAA said.
The continuation in airspace restrictions between India and Pakistan comes more than two weeks after the two nuclear powers stepped back from the brink of a full-scale war after India launched air strikes on its neighbour over a terrorist attack in Kashmir on 7 May.
Pakistan retaliated and carried out drone attacks on India beyond the frontier both countries share, eventually triggering the worst military conflict in nearly three decades between the nuclear-armed rivals.
The two countries agreed to a ceasefire on 10 May.
As a result, the airspace stretching from India’s north to west and over Pakistan was shut down, causing major diversions for airplanes crossing the region with destinations in other Asian, Middle Eastern, European and American cities.
The extension of airspace closure comes two days after an Indian passenger plane over the Himalayan region faced a severe turbulence due to sudden hailstorm, leaving hundreds of passengers in panic and screaming, was denied permission to briefly use the Pakistan airspace to avoid the turbulence by the Lahore Air Traffic Control.
Photos showed the nose of the airplane en route from Delhi to Srinagar hollowed out and severely damaged due to the hailstorm. The extension of closure of airspace by a month comes two days after an IndiGo pilot operating the Delhi-Srinagar flight, which encountered a sudden hailstorm on Wednesday, initially sought Lahore Air Traffic Control's permission to briefly use the Pakistan airspace to avoid the turbulence, but the request was reportedly rejected.
India’s flag carrier, Air India, is expected to face around $600m in additional costs if a ban from Pakistan's airspace lasts for a year, and has asked the federal government to compensate it for the hit, a company letter seen by Reuters shows.
Indian airlines are bracing for higher fuel costs and longer journey times after Pakistan shut its airspace to the country's carriers in a tit-for-tat retaliation following an attack on tourists in Kashmir last week.
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