Pakistan extends airspace ban on Indian aircraft until Sept 24

• Ban covers Indian-registered aircraft and airlines.
• Restriction covers aircraft leased by Indian operators.
• Pakistan first imposed ban on Indian flights in 2025.

The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) has issued a new Notice to Airmen (Notam), extending the closure of Pakistani airspace to Indian flights.

According to the Notam, the ban, effective from Aug 18, applies to all aircraft registered in India, Indian airlines, aircraft leased by India and commercial and military aircraft owned or operated by Indian nationals.

The restriction will remain in force until 4:59am Pakistan Standard Time (PST) on Sept 24.

The airspace closure was initially imposed on April 23, 2025, and the latest notification marks the 16th Notam issued to extend the restriction.

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.