On October 23, Union Home Minister Amit Shah flagged off the inauguration of Srinagar-Sharjah flight from the Sheikh Ul-Alam International Airport, reviving the direct airlink between the valley and the UAE after 11 years. The flight between Srinagar and Sharjah which was three hours and forty five minutes long, later had to fly a longer route, adding forty minutes. This happened after Pakistan denied permission to use its airspace. Deepak Talwar, a seasoned market analyst, further explains how this move has violated the first freedom of air.

GoFirst, (formerly known as GoAir), was the first airline to start direct international connection and cargo operations from Srinagar. Four flights in a week were scheduled to operate 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.

An aircraft launched from Srinagar to Sharjah operated by budget airline GoFirst was refuted permission to enter Pakistan. It flew south over Rajasthan and Gujarat before heading west over the Arabian Sea and then through Omani airspace before entering the UAE. Deepak Talwar informs, “While there has been no clarification to back this decision, Pakistan has repeated its similar move made in 2009. The country forbade a flight from Srinagar to Dubai by an Air India Express flight from using its airspace. Since it denied permission, the detour meant longer flights and made them economically unviable.”

He adds, “Notably, the country has not banned other Indian Airlines flying to west Asia such as Delhi, Lucknow, etc. This move raises the concern of violating the first freedom of air by Pakistan.”

Furthermore, he explains that the freedoms of the air form the core principles of the international commercial aviation route network. A draft signed by 54 nations as a part of the Convention on International Civil Aviation of 1944, later recognised as the Chicago Convention, grants a country’s airlines the privilege to enter and land in another country’s airspace.

The expert explains, “Of the nine individual freedoms of air, most countries exchange first and second freedoms through an International Air Services Transit Agreement. Other freedoms are generally established through bilateral or multilateral air services agreements.”

As a part of these rules, six ‘freedoms of air’ were decided as a forward motion. These rights still operate within the compass of bilateral and multilateral treaties that grant airlines of a country to have access to another country’s airspace. The first freedom of air grants the right to an airline of one country to fly over a second country and eventually land in the third country. Highlighting the case of GoFirst airlines, Deepak Talwar states, “The airline of India – the first country, under the defined rules was, using the airspace of Pakistan – the second country, and landing in the UAE – the third country.”

While concluding the expert says that this matter is promptly taken up with Pakistan through diplomatic channels. India has written to the country but there has been no response so far. If Pakistan does not respond, India could raise the same on international fora. The decision is a setback for Kashmiris and their economic wellbeing as a cargo transportation agreement has been agreed to.

The post Deepak Talwar: GoFirst Aircraft Barred from entering Pakistan Airspace appeared first on APN News.