Pakistan’s ban on Indian aircraft entering its airspace is set to complete one year, as authorities have extended the restriction for another month through a fresh Notice to Airmen (NOTAM).
The Pakistan Airports Authority said all Indian-registered, leased, commercial, and military aircraft will remain barred from Pakistani airspace until 5am on May 24, 2026.
Pakistan has kept its airspace closed to Indian flights since April 24, 2025, a move that has resulted in losses amounting to billions of rupees for Indian airlines.
The restriction was imposed in a tit-for-tat response after New Delhi suspended the Indus Waters Treaty following heightened bilateral tensions in the wake of the Pahalgam attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), which India blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad rejected the allegations and called for a transparent investigation.
Following Pakistan’s move, India also shut its airspace to Pakistani airlines on April 30, 2025.
Subsequently, on May 6-7, 2025, India launched attacks on multiple Pakistani cities, prompting a large-scale retaliatory military response by Pakistan under Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, targeting several Indian military installations across various regions.
Pakistan claimed to have downed seven Indian fighter jets, including three Rafale aircraft, along with dozens of drones. After nearly 87 hours of hostilities, both nuclear-armed nations agreed to a ceasefire on May 10, brokered by the United States.
While India’s aviation sector has faced significant financial losses due to the airspace restrictions, the impact on Pakistan’s aviation industry has remained limited.
Pakistan has previously imposed similar airspace restrictions during the 1999 Kargil conflict and the 2019 Pulwama crisis, both of which led to greater disruption for Indian aviation.
