Pakistan airspace goes quiet as global airlines bypass it, entrepreneur warns: 'Forex loss will be...'
As Pakistan airspace thins out, entrepreneur says don’t spare this rogue nation
Pakistan's airspace is thinning out rapidly as not only Indian carriers but also global airlines reroute flights amid rising tensions with New Delhi — and with each passing day, Islamabad is bleeding valuable foreign exchange.
Highlighting the economic fallout, Rajeev Mantri, founder and managing director of venture capital firm Navam Capital, said Pakistan's move to block Indian airlines would hit its already fragile economy hard.
"Loss of overflight fees will be a very meaningful forex loss for a forex starved country like Pakistan which has no export competitive industries at all and is always on the edge," Mantri wrote on X. "India should further tighten the screws wherever possible. Don’t spare this rogue terrorist military-controlled entity that calls itself a nation."
Loss of overflight fees will be a very meaningful forex loss for a forex starved country like Pakistan which has no export competitive industries at all and is always on the edge.
India should further tighten the screws wherever possible. Don’t spare this rogue terrorist… https://t.co/szlj1q6IDa
— Rajeev Mantri (@RMantri) May 5, 2025
Mantri's remarks came in response to a journalist's post showing live flight radar data, with fewer and fewer aircraft flying over Pakistani territory. The visual change comes as Indian airlines, including Air India and IndiGo, shift flight paths to avoid Pakistani airspace, resulting in longer routes and higher operating costs — but a far steeper loss for Islamabad in terms of aviation revenue.