Pakistan extends airspace ban to Indian airlines for another month

According to the newly issued NOTAM, Pakistani airspace will remain closed to flights from India until January 23, 2026.

Pakistan extends
Pakistan extends

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has extended the closure of its airspace to Indian aircraft for an additional month, the Pakistan Airports Authority announced following government approval.

According to the newly issued NOTAM, Pakistani airspace will remain closed to flights from India until January 23, 2026.

Pakistan had initially imposed the airspace closure on April 23, 2025, and has been extending it in phases since then.

The airspace ban was initially imposed on April 23, 2025, and has since caused significant financial losses to Indian airlines, running into billions of rupees.

Authorities emphasized that the extension is a continuation of the previous restriction, underlining Pakistan’s strict control over its airspace regarding Indian carriers.

This move comes amid ongoing diplomatic tensions between the two neighboring countries and reflects Pakistan’s continued caution over civil and military air traffic from India.

Since the escalation of tensions in April, following a deadly attack in Pahalgam, occupied Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people, both India and Pakistan have closed their airspaces to each other’s airlines.

In retaliation to India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty after the Pahalgam attack, Pakistan announced several measures on April 24, one of which was the closure of its airspace to all Indian-owned or Indian-operated airlines.