Pakistan has refused to allow a Srinagar-Sharjah direct flight operated by low-cost carrier Go First, launched by Home Minister Amit Shah during his recent visit to J&K. According to official sources, the Civil Aviation, External Affairs, and Home Affairs ministries have been informed of the situation. The refusal cast doubt on the flight’s feasibility, prompting worries that it may suffer the same fate as the 2009 Srinagar-Dubai service, which was canceled due to poor demand after Pakistan closed its airspace.
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Flights from Srinagar to the United Arab Emirates are being rerouted to avoid crossing Pakistani airspace, which adds almost an hour to the flight duration and increases fuel and ticket expenses. On October 23, the first Srinagar-Sharjah flight took off. According to flight monitoring service Radar24, the jet passed Pak airspace up until October 30. Then on November 2, it traveled across Rajasthan and Gujarat before heading west over the Arabian Sea.
Go First says it will continue to offer the service (on alternating days) for the time being. Mehbooba Mufti, the former Chief Minister of J&K, has slammed the government for allowing the flight without establishing the requisite foundation; the PDP leader has dubbed Mr. Shah’s flagging off a “public relations act.” “It’s perplexing that India’s government didn’t bother to ask Pakistan for permission to utilise its airspace for foreign flights from Srinagar. Without a solid foundation, a PR extravaganza is a waste of time “she sent out a tweet.
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, another ex-Chief Minister, tweeted, “very bad.” “It’s a real shame. In 2009-2010, Pakistan tried the same thing with an Air India Express aircraft from Srinagar to Dubai. Last month, Mr. Abdullah tweeted a word of caution when Amit Shah waved off the inaugural Srinagar-Sharjah aircraft, saying he hoped “Pakistan had a change of heart.”
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Pakistan, on the other hand, has allowed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fly into their airspace. The Prime Minister’s jet recently passed through Pak airspace to and from the G20 and COP26 meetings in Italy and Scotland, respectively. When the Prime Minister traveled to the United States in September, his plane could also fly across Pakistani territory.
