The Indian government has requested Pakistan to allow Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s aircraft to use Pakistani airspace on June 13. According to sources, Pakistan has received a formal request sent by the Indian High Commission in this regard.
Modi is scheduled to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan next week.
Pakistani airspace on its eastern border with India will remain closed until June 14, a civil aviation official said on May 29.
Pakistan closed its airspace in February after Indian jets tried to bomb locations inside Pakistan.
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.
“The closure will continue until June 14,” a spokesperson for Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority said.
Pakistan lies in the middle of a vital aviation corridor and the airspace restrictions impact hundreds of commercial and cargo flights each day, adding flight time for passengers and fuel costs for airlines.
