Srinagar, July 26: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah today alleged that Pakistan came in the way of the state’s endeavour to be on the international air map by refusing air route to flights to Srinagar.
Omar’s criticism came as Pakistan foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar arrived in New Delhi for a two-day visit.
“Yet they (Pakistan) claim to be Kashmiris’ sympathisers”, Omar tweeted on the eve of Indo-Pak talks.
The Srinagar airport was upgraded in 2009 to receive international flights and the first plane landed from Dubai in February that year.
The modernisation involved an expenditure of Rs 100 crore provided by the Centre.
But the only international flight, which was a weekly affair, was stopped last year after it turned out to be a costly affair.
The chief minister said the operation was grounded after Pakistan refused airspace to flights from and to Srinagar and diverting the planes proved costly .
“By the time you divert below Gujarat to bypass Pakistani airspace, the flight time and cost make it unviable”, he said.
The chief minister has asked the Centre to take up the issue with the visiting foreign minister.
“This is an important matter for our people as it directly relates to the promotion of tourism in the state,” Omar said.
The Srinagar airport can handle 450 international and 500 domestic passengers during peak hours.
The modernisation increased the apron and taxiing track area from 13,045sqm to 55,820sqm, which helped it to accommodate B-747 aircraft.
The airport also got a new terminal building with amenities such as aerobridges, central heating system, conveyor belts, air conditioning system, escalators, lift, CCTV and baggage-handling belts.
The authorities had planned to have connecting flights from Srinagar to other cities in West Asia following a debut to Dubai but there was no progress after Pakistan’s reluctance to offer airspace.
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