Pakistan has closed one of its airspace corridors for flights to and from India, following heightened tensions with New Delhi over its recent move to revoke the special status of its Jammu and Kashmir state, an Air India spokesperson said
NEW DELHI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th August, 2019) Pakistan has closed one of its airspace corridors for flights to and from India, following heightened tensions with New Delhi over its recent move to revoke the special status of its Jammu and Kashmir state, an Air India spokesperson said.
Earlier this week, the Indian government announced its decision to strip Jammu and Kashmir of its special status, which had granted the state a certain degree of autonomy for several decades, and split it into two union territories. This move prompted clashes on the Indian-Pakistani line of control and forced Islamabad to downgrade its diplomatic relations and suspend trade with its neighbor.
"One air corridor has been closed [in Pakistan's airspace], requiring a maximum of 12 minutes diversion. It will not affect us [much]," the Air India spokesperson said, as quoted by the business Today news outlet.
The airline will have to reroute its flights to accommodate the restrictions.
Air India operates around 50 daily international flights through Pakistan's airspace.
In response to India's decision to reorganize the state located in the disputed Kashmir region, the United Nations said it was worried about the restrictions on the telecommunications networks in the state and the possible human rights abuses that could follow due to the blocking of free access to information.
