In view of the increasing tension between India and Pakistan after the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, many international airlines have refused to use Pakistani airspace. According to airline statements and flight tracker data, the major airlines avoiding Pakistan’s airspace include Air France, British Airways, Swiss International Airlines, UAE’s Emirates, Italy’s ITA, Poland’s LOT and Germany’s Lufthansa. Airlines are deciding to change their air routes after reports of the use of nuclear weapons between the two countries. India-Pak ban each other’s airlines On March 22, 4 terrorists opened fire on tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, killing 26 people. A Pakistan-backed terrorist group claimed responsibility for this attack. In response to the attack, India has closed its airspace for Pakistani airlines. Pakistan has also banned Indian-owned or operated aircraft from flying through its airspace. Indian airlines are suffering losses due to the ban on flying over Pakistan. Flights are also taking longer to reach Arab and other countries. At the same time, many major Western airlines are voluntarily not using Pakistani airspace. However, they are not facing such a ban. Which airlines are avoiding Pak airspace Flight tracking data from Flightradar-24 showed that Lufthansa flight LH760 from Frankfurt to New Delhi flew about an hour longer on Sunday. Because it had to take a longer route to reach its destination. What will be the impact on Pakistan? The change in flight route will reduce Pakistan’s earnings from overflight fees, which can be up to hundreds of dollars per flight depending on the weight of the aircraft and the distance covered. According to a Reuters report, the central bank has $10.2 billion of Pakistan’s reserves, which is barely enough to cover two months of imports.
