Indian Air Force Lifts Temporary Airspace Restrictions, Imposed After Balakot Air Strike
The IAF had imposed the restrictions a day after 12 Mirage 2000s bombed a camp of the Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed in Balakot.
New Delhi: All temporary restrictions imposed on air routes over India's airspace after the Balakot air strike have been removed, the Air Force said on Friday. The move comes immediately after Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his second term in office.
"Temporary restrictions on all air routes in the Indian airspace, imposed by the Indian Air Force on 27 Feb 19, have been removed," the Indian Air Force tweeted on Friday.
The IAF had imposed the restrictions a day after 12 Mirage 2000s bombed a camp of the Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed in Balakot. The airstrike was in response to a suicide bombing in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama on February 14 that killed 40 CRPF personnel. Indian Air Force Likely to Get DRDO's Smart Anti Airfield Weapon by 2020: Report.
Pakistan on Wednesday extended the ban on India using its airspace for commercial flights till June 14. Since then, foreign carriers 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.
Pakistan lies in the middle of a vital aviation corridor whereby the airspace restrictions, which have been continuing, impacts hundreds of commercial flights each day, extending flight timings for passengers as well as fuel costs for airlines.