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Business News/ Companies / News/  Pakistan moves to ease airspace curbs, but flights will still be longer
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Pakistan moves to ease airspace curbs, but flights will still be longer

An overflight route in South Pakistan was opened up on Thursday, offering marginal saving of time for some flights
  • The airspace curbs that have been put in place are applicable till 10 April, with the exception of 11 routes, says Pakistan
  • Pakistan airspace restrictions are hurting international flights from India. (Mint)Premium
    Pakistan airspace restrictions are hurting international flights from India. (Mint)

    New Delhi: Pakistan has opened up one overflight route for international airlines, though several restrictions remain in place, according to airline officials. The opening up of the overflight route has sparked hope in the Indian aviation sector that Islamabad could further ease curbs on the use of its airspace.

    An overflight route south of Pakistan was opened up on Thursday, offering marginal saving of time for some flights, according to an official at Air India. “We are waiting for instructions from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The route that has been opened up allows for a saving of 15 minutes of flight time," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

    The airspace curbs that have been put in place are applicable till 10 April, with the exception of 11 routes, according to a notice issued by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority on Wednesday. It has since then added a couple of more routes to the exempted list.

    International air travellers to and from north India have had to endure longer travel times and baggage restrictions since Pakistan introduced the airspace curbs on 27 February amid escalating tensions with India. Pakistan has since been extending restrictions on foreign carriers using its airspace.

    Air India has operated all its international flights by taking a detour to Mumbai and overflying the Arabian Sea. The national carrier has also introduced stopovers at Mumbai and Vienna on its international flights.

    Air India has cut the permissible baggage from two pieces to one in the Mumbai-New York-Mumbai route to carry more fuel, said the company official quoted above.

    SpiceJet cancelled its flight to Kabul in the wake of the Pakistan airspace restrictions. At present, some Gulf carriers and Pakistani airlines operate commercial flights over Pakistan airspace.

    Thecurbs have hurt all the west-bound flights from north India, including those of foreign carriers. “Average flying time for EU (European Union) carriers coming to Delhi has gone up by almost two hours. However... the airlines have not spiked fares considerably," said Sharat Dhall, chief operating officer of travel portal Yatra.com.

    About 800 commercial and cargo flights are affected every day because of the curbs, impacting airline finances and airport revenues, analysts said.

    Diversions have led to an average increase of 20% in airfares, said Aloke Bajpai, chief executive officer and co-founder of ixigo, a travel booking portal.

    “The increase in airfares has also affected inbound medical tourism as flyers from places like Afghanistan have to pay almost double the fare for flights," said Bajpai.

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    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Gireesh Chandra Prasad
    Gireesh has over 22 years of experience in business journalism covering diverse aspects of the economy, including finance, taxation, energy, aviation, corporate and bankruptcy laws, accounting and auditing.
    Catch all the Corporate news and Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
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    Published: 06 Apr 2019, 01:24 AM IST
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