Indian Airlines to Avoid Flying Through Pakistani Airspace

India's civil aviation regulator denies that there are any political reasons behind the move.

New Delhi (Sputnik) — Indian carriers will no longer use Pakistan's airspace to fly to Dubai as the government has decided to straighten the route to save fuel and reduce the navigation fee for carriers.

"Airport Authority of India has straightened the route from Ahmedabad to Gulf which will save on fuel. On the existing route from Ahmedabad to gulf, our carriers fly over Pakistan airspace. However, on new route, they will not fly over Pakistan airspace," announced India's Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), in a statement.

The government decision will apparently save large sums of money for Indian carriers. It is estimated that a flight bound to Dubai from India's Ahmedabad likely to save $1,490 per leg as Pakistan will not be able to charge $402 per leg for navigating its airspace. Additional savings will come in the form of less fuel being required to reach the destination. 

Previously, India had set up a separate department to look into the optimization of airspace as per India's new Civil Aviation Policy 2016.

The proposed new route from Ahmedabad to the Gulf countries is currently controlled by the Ministry of Defense. Forty percent of India's airspace is controlled by the Ministry of Defense, due to this Indian carriers have to take long routes and spend extra on fuel and navigation fees.

The DGCA denies media reports claiming that Indian carriers had sought government permission to avoid Pakistani airspace for security reasons.

"No political issue as reflected in media reports," read a statement from the DGCA.