Explore Business Standard
Airspace
India on Monday expeditiously heeded to Pakistan's request to use Indian airspace to send humanitarian assistance to cyclone-hit Sri Lanka, people familiar with the matter said. They also described as "fake" reports in the Pakistani media that India has not granted overflight facility to Pakistan to send aid to Sri Lanka. The official request for overflight was submitted by Pakistan at around 1300 hours (Indian time) on Monday seeking permission to fly over Indian airspace, the people said. Given the fact that the request pertained to humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka, India expeditiously cleared the request and intimated the same to Pakistan at 1730 hours (Indian time) on Monday through official channels, they said. It was processed at the shortest notice period of four hours, they added. This gesture from India despite Pakistan having banned its airspace for Indian airlines was considered purely on humanitarian grounds, the people said. "Pakistani media, as usual, is indulgi
India has extended the closure of its airspace for Pakistan civilian and military planes till October 24. The neighbouring country has also closed its airspace for Indian aircraft till October 24. Both countries have shut their respective airspace for each other's planes since April in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack. India and Pakistan have issued separate Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) for extending the airspace closures. Indian airspace will not be available for Pakistan-registered aircraft and aircraft operated/owned or leased by Pakistan airlines/ operators, including military flights, according to the NOTAM issued on September 23. The airspace will remain closed till 2359 hours (UTC) on October 23, which translates to 0530 hours (IST) on October 24. Following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people on April 22, India closed its airspace for planes operated, owned or leased by Pakistan airlines and operators, including military flights, with effect from April 30.
Turkiye has closed its airspace to Israeli planes in protest at the war in Gaza, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Friday. We have completely cut off our trade with Israel. We do not allow Turkish ships to go to Israeli ports. We do not allow their planes to enter our airspace, he told a special parliamentary debate on Gaza in Ankara. Turkiye severed direct trade ties with Israel in May last year, demanding a permanent ceasefire and the immediate entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza. In 2023, the two countries carried out USD 7 billion in trade. Turkish media reported last week that a ban on maritime traffic linked to Israel had been imposed, although there was no official statement. According to reports, Israeli vessels were banned from docking in Turkiye, and Turkish-flagged ships were not allowed to enter Israeli ports. Ankara has been a harsh critic of Israeli attacks on Gaza, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeatedly referring to Israel's actions as genocide and likening Pri
Pakistan has extended the closure of its airspace for flights operated by Indian airlines by another month till August 24, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said. No aircraft operated by Indian airlines, or military and civilian flights that are Indian-owned or leased, will be allowed to use Pakistani airspace, according to a NOTAM (notice to airmen) that came into effect at 3:50 pm India time on Friday. The ban will remain in place till August 24 at 5:19 am (India time), the PAA said. The Indian airspace is also closed to all Pakistani aircraft till July 24 after a ban was imposed first on April 30 as part of measures taken by the Indian government against Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people on April 22. Pakistan shut its airspace for Indian aircraft on April 24 and the tit-for-tat restrictions by the two nations have been extended multiple times.
Flights to the Middle East resumed early Tuesday morning from Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, following the reopening of airspace in the region after a brief closure, according to airport sources. Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Air Arabia were among the first to resume operations. Flights bound for Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah operated by the three carriers landed and departed in the early hours without disruption, airport sources said. However, several scheduled services were cancelled earlier in the morning as the situation stabilised, they said. Affected services included Air India Express flights to Muscat, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Dammam, and Dubai. Qatar Airways' Doha-bound flight, Kuwait Airways' service to Kuwait, and IndiGo's flight to Sharjah were also cancelled, they said. To manage the passenger backlog and assist those affected, airport authorities have set up additional seating arrangements and service counters at Terminal 2. Extra staff have been deployed to
Jordan will reopen its airspace to civilian aircraft Saturday morning, its state-run media reported, signalling the Mideast kingdom believes there is no immediate danger of further attacks. Jordan's state-run Petra news agency said the skies would reopen at 7:30 am local. Jordan's airspace had seen Iranian drones and missiles cross through it, with Israeli fighter jets likely engaging targets there. The crossfire between Israel and Iran disrupted East-West travel through the Mideast, a key global aviation route.
The airspace over Andaman and Nicobar Islands was closed for three hours from 7 am on Friday for high altitude weapon test by the tri-services command, an official said. A senior Andaman and Nicobar Command official said, "Like today, the airspace over and around Andaman and Nicobar Islands will be closed tomorrow for three hours (7 am to 10 am). We have already issued Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) on May 16 and instructed that no civilian aircraft will be allowed to fly over Andaman on May 23 and May 24." "Airspace over and around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with maximum corridor length of around 500 km will be restricted between 01:30 and 04:30 Universal Time Coordinated UTC (7 am and 10 am IST) on May 23 and 24," the excerpts of the NOTAM said. In the context of airspace closure, the official said, "We have successfully done a high-altitude weapon test today and tomorrow a similar test will be done. This is a routine practice here in Andaman and Nicobar Islands as we have done ...
Pakistan on Wednesday announced a 48-hour closure of its airspace for all air traffic after India carried out a military strike on terror targets in Pakistan and PoK. Shortly after the military strike by India, Pakistani aviation authorities closed the airspace over Islamabad and Lahore and diverted flights to Karachi. Later, the entire airspace was closed for 48 hours as a precautionary measure. However, aviation authorities reopened the airspace after an eight-hour closure. International and domestic flights resumed this morning, with the majority of them departing from the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi or Lahore. However, airspace in Lahore was closed again for 24 hours after a brief resumption. A heavy rush was witnessed at the Jinnah Airport in Karachi as delayed international and domestic flights took off or landed there. A spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority said that flights from West Asian countries and other destinations are now fully operational as