Pakistan extends airspace closure for Indian aircraft until October 23

• PAA issues Notice to airmen about extension of restrictions.
• Pakistan initially imposed ban on Indian aircraft in April, 2025.
• Latest notification marks 17th Notam issued to extend ban.

KARACHI: The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) has issued a new Notice to Airmen (Notam), extending the closure of Pakistani airspace to Indian flights till October 23.

According to the Notam, the ban applies to all Indian-regis­tered aircraft and aircraft operated or leased by Indian airlines/operators, including military flights.

The airspace closure was initially imposed on April 23, 2025, and the latest notice marks the 17th Notam issued to extend the restriction.

Islamabad banned 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.