In retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam massacre, Pakistan shut its skies to all Indian-owned or operated carriers—a move that emphasizes its continued tendency toward political posturing over pragmatism. India’s retaliatory measure, limiting Pakistan’s flights, further muddies the water, as both nations resort to symbolic gestures instead of pragmatic solutions.
The action, even if meant as a gesture of defiance, underscores underlying economic vulnerability and diplomatic missteps. Pakistan will be deprived of millions of dollars in overflight fees, as it was after the Pulwama attack in 2019.
In the meantime, its hasty reaction attests to mounting diplomatic isolation. India’s airspace closure, conversely, belies Pakistan’s failure to balance gesture with policy, and the financial costs might push the country into another unwarranted crisis.
Knee-Jerk Response with Consequences
Pakistan’s choice to close airspace for Indian carriers following the Pahalgam attack is not singular. The nation has consistently resorted to politically motivated steps instead of thinking through the long-term economic consequences.
Although Pakistan’s action may represent defiance, it also represents an unwillingness to learn from the past, in this case, from the post-2019 Pulwama attack.
Economic Fallout for Pakistan
Closing airspace could appear to be a minor compromise on the face of it, but it carries deep economic costs. Indian flights are diverting around Pakistani airspace, which is costing them extra fuel and causing longer flight durations. But actually, the economic harm is being done to Pakistan’s aviation industry. The nation is losing substantial overflight revenue from the diverted flights.
When India’s airspace was closed in 2019 after Pulwama, Pakistan’s aviation industry bled almost $100 million in losses. Pakistan lost approximately $760,000 per day in terms of cancelled flights, rerouting charges, and foregone overflight revenue. Pakistan is likely to experience the same financial squeeze with the existing airspace closure.
Diplomatic Isolation: Self-Inflicted Blow
The decision to close airspace is part of a larger trend of diplomatic isolation. Pakistan’s failure to strike a balance between standing firm on its political position and engaging in meaningful dialogue only complicates its global relations.
Whereas Pakistan perceives such actions as a means to pressure India, the long-term effect is that it continues to isolate itself from the global economic and diplomatic tables. This further makes it challenging to establish peaceful bilateral relations with India and other global stakeholders.
Wake-Up Call for Pakistan
For Pakistan, the airspace restriction is not merely a short-term inconvenience; it is a wake-up call. The nation must rethink its strategy towards diplomatic and economic relations, especially with India. Political posturing may play well with domestic audiences, but it usually comes at a steep cost.
Pakistan needs to rethink its strategy to prevent further economic losses, especially when global alliances are the key to economic recovery and growth.
Learning from Past Mistakes
Finally, Pakistan’s decision to close its airspace has unveiled a pattern of giving more importance to symbolic action than practical economic sense. It reveals fault lines in Pakistan’s diplomatic strategy as well as in its aviation industry’s capacity to withstand such political choices.
Until Pakistan learns to adopt a more balanced policy, it can continue to look forward to more economic and diplomatic isolation.
