Pakistan, India extend airspace closures in tit-for-tat moves

KARACHI/NEW DELHI: Pakistan and India have extended airspace restrictions for each other’s aircraft in tit-for-tat moves, both countries said on Friday, amid continuing diplomatic tensions between the neighbours after a brief military conflict this month.

The Pakistan Airports Authority said the restriction applied to “all aircraft registered, operated, owned, or leased by India”, including military planes, until 4:59 a.m. local time on June 24. (2359 GMT on June 23). India’s Civil Aviation Ministry issued a corresponding NOTAM (Notice to Airmen), saying Pakistani-registered, operated, owned, or leased aircraft, including military flights, would be barred from Indian airspace through June 23.

An IndiGo passenger plane attempting to avoid severe weather en route to Indian Illegally occupied Kashmir was denied permission to divert towards Pakistan by both the Indian Air Force and Pakistan, India’s aviation regulator said on Friday. No passengers were injured when the flight from India’s capital Delhi to the northern Indian city of Srinagar was forced to fly through a hailstorm. But a post-landing inspection revealed damage to the aircraft’s nose, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a statement, adding that the incident was under investigation.