Fares to US, Europe set to drop as Pak opens airspace for civilian aircraft

Airlines return to shorter routes soon after the announcement

In a relief to the aviation industry and passengers, Pakistan has decided to open its airspace for civilian aircraft almost five months after shutting it.

Pakistan airspace is a key transit corridor for carriers flying from India to Europe, and the USA and vice versa. The closure had forced airlines to take longer routes, thereby incurring higher cost. Several airlines had even suspended  flights to certain destinations.

Following Pakistan’s announcement late Monday night, airlines have already started using the airspace to cut the flying time. Travel industry executives said the move would allow airfares to normalise on west-bound routes, which