Almost a year after Pakistan banned Indian aircraft from using its airspace, it has again extended the ban by another month. Pakistan maintains its airspace closed to Indian flights from 24 April 2025. The airspace ban has been extended to 24 May 2025.
According to NOTAM (Notice to Airmen), Pakistani airspace is not available for aircraft registered in India and aircraft operated/owned or leased by Indian airlines/operators, including military flights.
“All Indian, leased, commercial and military aircraft will be banned from entering Pakistan’s airspace till 5:00 AM on 24 May 2026.” The notice was issued days before the previous one was set to expire on April 24.
The ban will be in effect from April 21 to 2359 hours (UTC) on May 23, which translates to May 24 at 05:30 (IST), according to a NOTAM issued by the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA).
India, meanwhile, had earlier banned Pakistan from using its airspace and banned all Pakistani airlines until 05:30 on 24 April. The restriction is expected to be extended further.
Why was the airspace closed?
It is now almost a year since the airspace ban came into force in Pakistan. The ban also led to Indian carriers plying longer routes to various international destinations including the Persian Gulf.
India closed its airspace for use by Pakistani airlines following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) on April 22 last year. The terrorist attack killed 26 people, mostly tourists.
Pakistan has also closed its airspace to Indian airlines. The move followed India’s suspension of the Indus Water Treaty on April 23. The airspace closure was earlier adopted during the 1999 Kargil conflict and the 2019 Pulwama crisis.
In August, Dawn reported in an August report that Pakistan had suffered heavy financial losses after it closed its airspace to Indian-registered aircraft. According to a report, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) lost more than ₹1,240 crore in just two months since the ban was imposed, the Ministry of Defense informed the National Assembly.
As per Dawn, the move to ban Indian airlines has failed economically. PAA’s revenue plummeted between April 24 and June 30, nearly hitting 100-150 Indian aircraft a day and reducing Pakistan’s transit air traffic by nearly 20 percent, according to Dawn.
