New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Kyrgyzstan on June 13 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.
But before the Prime Minister could undertake the trip, India has to overcome a diplomatic issue with its arch-rival Pakistan; that of extracting permission from it to allow Modi to fly over its airspace to Kyrgyzstan.
Pakistan has closed its airspace to flights originating from India ever since the Balakot air strike in February. The closure also applies to VVIP movement both ways. However, Pakistan had last month allowed use of its airspace for then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s visit to the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek.
Should it allow the Prime Minister’s flight to cross over, it will be the second such instance. If Pakistan refuses, Modi will take as long as eight hours to reach Bishkek through a diverted route, instead of the four hours it should otherwise take, media reports said.
The closure of Pakistan’s airspace has hit Indian carriers hard, especially Air India which has to reroute most flights to Europe and North America via the Mumbai-Dubai air corridor.
The loss incurred by Air India stands at about Rs 3 crore per day.
