Islamabad: Since February’s Balakot strike, for the first time Pakistan on Tuesday opened its airspace for all civilian traffic, as per the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority.
“With immediate effect, Pakistan airspace is open for all type of civilian traffic on published ATS routes,” read a notice to airmen (NOTAM) issued by the authority. The country had earlier claimed that it would not open its airspace for for commercial flights until India removed its fighter jets from forward Indian airbases.
Pakistan had fully closed its airspace on February 26 after the Indian Air Force (IAF) struck a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist training camp in Balakot in retaliation to the Pulwama attack on February 14. Since then, the neighbouring country had only two routes, both of them passing through the southern region, of the total 11.
Pakistan lies in the middle of a vital aviation corridor whereby the airspace restrictions, which have been continuing since a long time, impacts hundreds of commercial flights per day, extending flight timings for passengers, as well as fuel costs for airlines.
