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The India-Pakistan tensionshave strained the Pakistani aviation sector significantly after the country's Ministry of Defence informed the National Assembly on Friday that Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) has lost PKR 4.1
billion in just over two months. The loss is attributed to theclosure of the airspace to India-registered aircraft due to the diplomatic row that ensued after the Pahalgam terror attack in India.
The Defence Ministry noted that the shortfall from April 24 to June 30 was in overflying revenue and was lower than the reported PKR 8.5 billion, Dawn reported. It is pertinent to note that Pakistan called for the closure of the country's airspace after India put the Indus Water Treaty into abeyance.
While Pakistan boasted about the measure, the move affected 100 to 150 Indian aircraft flying over Pakistan daily, cutting transit traffic by almost 20 per cent. In 2019, a similar closure led to an estimated Rs7.6 billion ($54 million) revenue loss, compared to $100 million previously reported.
While addressing the Pakistani National Assembly, the Ministry of Defence emphasised that such decisions, under the jurisdiction of the federal government, were issued through Notices to Airmen
(NOTAMs) and carried strategic and diplomatic weight. They noted that the move was taken to "safeguard civilians, protect infrastructure, and allow military planning."
However, throughout Operation Sindoor, the Indian military took precautions and ensured that civilians on the other side of the border were not dragged into the four-day military escalation between two nuclear superpowers.
“While financial losses occur, sovereignty and national defence take precedence over economic considerations,” the
Pakistani defence ministry's statement read. However, the loss is significant. Before tensions between the two nations, the PAA’s average daily overflight revenue in 2019 was $508,000, compared to $760,000 in 2025. The animosities between the two neighbouring countries reached a boiling point after terrorists from Pakistan infiltrated a tourist spot in Pahalgam, Kashmir, killing 26 people.
The Defence Ministry noted that the shortfall from April 24 to June 30 was in overflying revenue and was lower than the reported PKR 8.5 billion, Dawn reported. It is pertinent to note that Pakistan called for the closure of the country's airspace after India put the Indus Water Treaty into abeyance.
Pakistan still defends its move
While addressing the Pakistani National Assembly, the Ministry of Defence emphasised that such decisions, under the jurisdiction of the federal government, were issued through Notices to Airmen
However, throughout Operation Sindoor, the Indian military took precautions and ensured that civilians on the other side of the border were not dragged into the four-day military escalation between two nuclear superpowers.
“While financial losses occur, sovereignty and national defence take precedence over economic considerations,” the
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