Cricket Diplomacy? Pakistan’s Special Plane Flies Over India to Reach Colombo

A special aircraft from Pakistan departed from Lahore and reached Colombo after passing through Indian airspace. According to the international flight tracking platform Flightradar24, the aircraft—a Gulfstream G450 with callsign PAAAF296—took off from Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport at 1:27 PM and landed at Colombo’s international airport at 7:16 PM after a flight of approximately five hours and twenty minutes.

The aircraft passed through Pakistan’s southern regions, entered the Arabian Sea airspace near Karachi, then proceeded over Indian maritime boundaries and Mumbai-controlled airspace, flying close to India’s western coast near Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Karnataka, before heading toward the Bay of Bengal and eventually landing in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka.

In normal circumstances, this is a straightforward route from Pakistan to Sri Lanka, but due to the closure of airspace between Pakistan and India, this flight is being considered unusual. According to Flightradar24, this aircraft was delivered to the Pakistan Air Force in June 2025. In Pakistan, it is being used for VIP and official movements. Prior to June, it was operating under the American registration N881JJ.

This flight is being seen as a significant indication of cricket diplomacy, as using Indian airspace would not have been possible without special clearance. According to Indian media, a high-ranking Pakistani personality arrived in Colombo aboard this special aircraft.