IAF Lifts Temporary Restrictions Imposed on Indian Airspace
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has removed the temporary restrictions on all air routes in the Indian air space.
Why the restrictions were imposed?
The IAF had imposed temporary airspace restrictions on Indian air space on 27th February 2019. It was 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 which killed 40 CRPF personnel in Pulwama of Jammu and Kashmir.
How did it impact Indian Airlines?
Pakistan lies in the middle of a vital aviation corridor. Similar restrictions were imposed by Pakistan on its airspace. It mainly affected flights bound to Europe to the US.
As many as 400 flights per day are affected due to the restrictions imposed by Pakistan. They were forced to take longer routes. The Airlines were forced to take routes further south of Oman airspace while adding pressure on busy corridors in Iran which witnessed an addition of more than 100 air flights.