Pakistan Denies Use of its Airspace for Srinagar-Sharjah Flights

The Ministry of Civil Aviation, Ministry of External Affairs, and Home Ministry are looking into the matter.

Pakistan has refused the use of its airspace for flights travelling from Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar to Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. Image used for representational purposes. 

(Photo: iStock)

Pakistan has refused the use of its airspace for flights travelling from Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar to Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, news agency ANI reported on Wednesday, 3 November.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation, Ministry of External Affairs, and the Home Ministry are looking into the matter, a government source told the news agency.

The denial of permission to fly over Pakistan's territory would mean that the flight from Srinagar to Sharjah will have to fly via Udaipur, Ahmedabad, and Oman — making the journey longer and more expensive.

Pakistan's decision comes shortly after Union Home Minister Amit Shah on 23 October had inaugurated a GoAir flight connecting the two terminal locations. The flight had marked the revival of a direct connection between the Valley and UAE after 11 years.

"Very unfortunate. Pakistan did the same thing with the Air India Express flight from Srinagar to Dubai in 2009-2010. I had hoped that Go First being permitted to fly over Pak airspace was indicative of a thaw in relations but alas that wasn’t to be," National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said in a tweet on Wednesday, 3 November.

(With inputs from ANI and India Today)