Pakistan blocks Srinagar-Sharjah flight from flying over its airspace

New Delhi, Nov 03: In a move that will hurt the people of Jammu and Kashmir the most, Pakistan has refused its airspace use to Go First's Srinagar-Sharjah flight. It has raised concerns over the use of their airspace. Matter reported to the concerned ministries; MoCA, MEA & MHA looking into it: Government source to ANI.

This is first a violation of international norms-- the International Civil Aviation Organisation's (ICAO) First Freedom of the Air as well as a burden on Kashmiris, who are using the flight the most.

The flight will be an hour and a half longer as planes will have to fly to Sharjah via Udaipur and Ahmedabad and overfly Oman. The flight will also be more expensive, an additional burden for passengers, most of whom are Kashmiris.

Reacting to the move, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted, "Pakistan did the same thing with the Air India Express flight from Srinagar to Dubai in 2009-2010. I had hoped that Go First being permitted to overfly Pak airspace was indicative of a thaw in relations, but alas, that wasn't to be."

On October 23, Union Home Minister Amit Shah flagged off the inaugural Srinagar-Sharjah flight from the Sheikh Ul-Alam international airport in Srinagar, reviving the direct airlink between the valley and the UAE after 11 years.