Pakistan suffered Rs8.5 bn due to airspace closure, says minister

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan said on Thursday that the country’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had suffered a loss of Rs8.5 billion due to the airspace restrictions since February 2019 when India and Pakistan found themselves on the brink of war and fought a brief dogfight above the disputed Kashmir region.
Addressing a news conference in Karachi, Khan said Indian aviation had incurred greater losses, adding: “At this juncture, détente and harmony are required from both sides.”
This is the first time Pakistani authorities have shared the cost of the airspace closure. Previously, officials refused to share the information with media representatives, describing it as confidential.
The minister said it was his government’s priority to revamp the Pakistan International Airlines and increase its fleet to 45 by phasing in 14 new aircrafts by 2025.
He noted that the country’s domestic airlines did not find enough space to expand their operations previously due to the open sky policy, adding that the current administration wanted to introduce a fair sky policy that offered equal opportunity to domestic air operators to grow their business.
“In this regard, all of the Air Services Agreements with other countries will be reviewed in the interest of Pakistan,” he said.
The minister also expressed his pleasure on the resumption of British Airways flights, saying many other international airlines were also interested in launching their operations in Pakistan.
Responding to a question, he said that no Pakistani airport was being handed over to Qatar, and such reports were only based on speculation.