Indian airline ‘used Pakistani airspace’ for Srinagar-Sharjah flight

Days after direct flight operations between Srinagar and Sharjah were resumed, some media reports have claimed that an Indian airline had violated Pakistani airspace multiple times.

Omar Abdullah, the former chief minister of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), also raised the matter on his official Twitter handle.

“Regarding the Srinagar-Sharjah flight that has been announced today - has Pakistan had a change of heart & allowed flights originating from Srinagar to use its airspace? If not then this flight will die the way the Srinagar-Dubai flight died during UPA2,” he wrote in a tweet after Indian Home Minister Amit Shah flagged off the first international direct flight from Srinagar to Sharjah on October 23.

In a follow-up tweet, Abdullah said: “Good to see the refusal of airspace usage is a thing of the past. Perhaps there is hope for relations between the two countries [Pakistan-India].”

Meanwhile, Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif claimed in a talk show on a local TV channel that India airline Go First used Pakistani airspace for flights between Srinagar and Sharjah. “We tracked at least three flights,” he added.

Reportedly, India did not seek permission from any Pakistani authority before using airspace for flights between the occupied territory and the emirate.

Go First, formerly known as GoAir, is the first airline to start the direct international connection and direct international cargo operations from Srinagar.

It will operate four flights a week between Srinagar and Sharjah.

"The introduction of the direct flight to Sharjah will boost trade and tourism between Srinagar and the UAE," the airline said in a statement.