It will take 2-3 days for scheduling to use Pakistani airspace, says Air India official

The Pakistan airspace had been shut in the aftermath of Indian Air Force airstrikes targeting terrorist posts in Balakot in February.

New Delhi: Hours after the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority ordered its airspace to be opened to all civilian traffic for flights between India and Pakistan, Air India official said that it will take 2 to 3 days for scheduling to use Pakistani airspace.

Indian airlines on Tuesday resumed flight operations over the Pakistan airspace, after the latter removed access restrictions, following Balakot airstrikes by the Indian Air Force in February. Air India was saddled with heavy financial losses following this.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation wrote on Twitter, "After cancellation of NOTAMS by Pakistan and India in the early hours of Tuesday, there are no restrictions on airspaces of both countries, flights have started using the closed air routes, bringing a significant relief for airlines".

After cancellation of NOTAMS by Pakistan and India in the early hours today , there are no restrictions on airspaces of both countries, flights have started using the closed air routes, bringing a significant relief for airlines. @AAI_Official @airindiain @HardeepSPuri — Ministry of Civil Aviation (@MoCA_GoI) July 16, 2019

In March, Pakistan partially opened its airspace but did not allow Indian flight to fly over its airspace.

Since then, foreign carriers had been using Indian airspace have been forced to take costly detours because they cannot fly over Pakistan. The closure mainly affects flights from Europe to Southeast Asia.