New Delhi, Delhi, India

The Afghan government raised the issue of Pakistan air space ban on Monday as its airline continued to face problems in reaching India.

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The Afghan government raised the matter through its officials and will raise it again. On being asked whether Kabul is hopeful on Pakistan opening its airspace, sources told WION that they are "negotiating".

The Pakistan government closed its air space on February 27 after launching strikes on Indian military installations in Jammu and Kashmir. The airstrikes were in response to India's counter-terror strikes on Jaish-e-Mohammed's terror camps in Balakot, Pakistan on February 26.

So far, the Pakistan government has partially opened its airspace in the west side of the country, but along the Indian border, it continues to be closed. No flights going from India to westwards or coming from Afghanistan or beyond to India are allowed to use Pakistan air space.

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The partial Pakistan airspace ban has particularly impacted Afghan airlines, who have to take a longer route over Iran, but also spend more on fuel which increases the cost of the ticket. 

Delhi to Kabul flight that used to take less than two hours before, now takes more than five hours.

Cost of a one-way ticket from Afghanistan to India for Afghan airlines such as Ariana Afghan Airlines and Kam Air Airline stands at $200 to $300 respectively. This was previously at $145 for Ariana Afghan Airlines and $160 for Kam Air Airline. 

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According to local Pakistan media reports, its national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) suffered a loss of over Rs 1 billion due to "closure of certain routes for the airline".