Pakistan extends airspace ban till June 15

Air India is seeing a daily loss of ₹ 5-7 crore as its flights towards Europe and U.S. are forced to take a longer route as well as make a stop en route for refuelling.

Air India is seeing a daily loss of ₹ 5-7 crore as its flights towards Europe and US are forced to take a longer route as well as make a stop enroute for re-fuelling. File

Pakistan on Wednesday extended the ban on use of its airspace from May 30 to June 15.

A notice to airmen (NOTAM), issued around 11 a.m., informed airlines about the extension of the ban , which has been in place since February 26, after the IAF struck Jaish-e-Mohammed targets in Balakot, Pakistan.

The

earlier NOTAM issued by Pakistan's civil aviation authority was until 3.30 p. m. on May 30 and this has been pushed to 5.30 a.m. on June 15, a senior official of the Ministry of Civil Aviation confirmed.

A spokesperson of Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had said that it was waiting for India to de-escalate tensions before taking a decision to lift the ban.

Several Central Asian airlines as well as those providing connectivity to Europe and the United States from Southeast Asia were forced to cancel their flights due to the ban. Air India, too, is seeing a daily loss of ₹ 5-7 crore as its flights towards Europe and the U.S. are forced to take a longer route as well as make a stop en route for refuelling.