Pak threatens to close airspace for India |
Pakistan yet again has threatened to close its airspace for overflying to and from India on Tuesday, less than one and a half months after it had re-opened the same. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired a cabinet meeting following which his cabinet colleague Fawad Chaudhry tweeted, “PM is considering a complete closure of air space to India, a complete ban on the use of Pakistan land routes for Indian trade to Afghanistan was also suggested in cabinet meeting, legal formalities for these decisions are under consideration. Earlier, the 138-day-long closure of Pakistan airspace after the Balakot strike had seen airlines operating between parts of South Asia, with Delhi at its heart, and the West taking the longer Arabian Sea route and beyond. This led to rise in flying time; more travel time for east coast-bound flights to the US, including an additional stop; increased expenses due to more fuel burn; crew requirement and fuelling stops; and decreased connectivity with airlines like United and Air Canada pulling out of some India routes. Closure of Pakistan airspace may again see a re-run of longer flying times and particularly more expensive tickets due to airlines` enhanced expenses.
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