Pakistan extends airspace ban on Indian aircraft to August 24

• Ban covers Indian leased aircraft too.
• Fresh Notam issued on govt directives.
• Restriction in place since April 2025.

KARACHI: Pakistan has extended its ban on Indian aircraft using its airspace until August 24, 2026, the Pakistan Airports Authority announced on Saturday.

The PAA issued a new Notice to Airmen on the government’s directives, extending the restriction which has been in place since April 23, 2025. The ban applies to all Indian-registered aircraft, Indian airlines and aircraft leased by Indian operators.

The airspace restriction, which was set to expire at 4:59am on July 24, was previously extended in May 2026 — a move that has resulted in losses amounting to billions of rupees for Indian airlines.

The latest Notam formally extends the existing restrictions for another month until August 24, 2026.

Pakistan barred Indian airlines from using its airspace in April last year after New Delhi suspended the Indus Waters Treaty following the deadly Pahalgam attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

India accused Pakistan of involvement in the attack, an allegation Islamabad has firmly denied while calling for an independent and transparent investigation.

In response to Pakistan’s decision, India closed its airspace to Pakistani airlines on April 30 last year.

Tensions escalated further when India launched strikes on several Pakistani cities on May 6 and 7, 2025. Pakistan responded with Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, targeting multiple Indian military installations in a large-scale retaliatory operation.

During the confrontation, Pakistan shot down eight Indian fighter aircraft, including three Rafale jets, along with dozens of drones. The hostilities lasted nearly 87 hours before both nuclear-armed neighbours agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire on May 10.

The airspace restrictions have had a far greater financial impact on India’s aviation sector, while Pakistan’s aviation industry has experienced comparatively limited disruption.

Pakistan has imposed similar airspace restrictions in the past, including during the 1999 Kargil conflict and the 2019 Pulwama crisis, episodes that also caused greater operational challenges for Indian airlines than for Pakistani carriers.