India Shuts 25 Air Routes To Pakistan

Dhaka: India on Wednesday, (May 7), shut down approximately 25 aviation routes that allow flights to transit into Pakistan through Indian airspace. The move coincided with coordinated missile strikes by Indian armed forces targeting terror infrastructure inside Pakistan, according to official sources.

The airspace restrictions come amid escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. In response to the deteriorating security environment, several international airlines have begun rerouting flights to avoid Pakistani airspace.

On April 30. India shut its airspace for Pakistan airline as part of retaliatory measures in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 that killed at least 26 people.

On April 24, Pakistan closed its airspace for Indian carriers.

Three officials told meeia on Wednesday that around 25 flight routes that allow entry of aircraft into the Pakistan airspace have been closed until further notice.

The closure will also mean that foreign carriers that were overflying Pakistan airspace after exiting the Indian airspace will have to take longer routes to their destinations, they said.

One of the officials said foreign airlines have been advised to use alternative flight routes wherein they will not be using the Pakistan airspace after exiting the Indian airspace.

Airlines pay a certain fee to the civil aviation authority concerned of the country through which it is overflying.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) provides Air Traffic Management Services (ATMS) over the entire Indian airspace and adjoining oceanic areas.

Early on Wednesday, India launched Operation Sindoor and carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba's base in Muridke.

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