Indian airlines suffer over 548 crores in losses due to Pakistan airspace closure

NEW DELHI: Indian airlines have suffered losses worth over 548 crore due to airspace closure by Pakistan after the Balakot air strike in February, the Centre said on Wednesday.

In a written response to a question in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation (Independent Charge) Hardeep Singh Puri said the national carrier Air India lost 491 crore till July 2, while IndiGo suffered a loss of 25.1 crore till May 31. SpiceJet and GoAir lost 30.73 crore and ?2.1 crore, respectively till June 20.

“The airspace closure by Pakistan is a unilateral measure that followed the non-military counter-terrorism airstrike by the Indian Air Force against terror camp in Balakot in Pakistan in February 2019,” Puri said in the upper House of Parliament.

Earlier, an Air India official told ANI that the national carrier was losing 6 crore a day due to airspace closure by Pakistan.On Friday, Pakistan announced to extend the closure of its airspace till July 12. Pakistan had fully shut its airspace on the eastern border with India after the Indian Air Force carried out aerial airstrikes in Balakot on February 26.

In mid-April, Pakistan opened one of its 11 air routes for west-bound flights from India; and airlines like Air India and Turkish Airlines have started using it. In March, the neighbouring country partially opened its airspace but did not allow Indian flight to fly over its airspace.