Pakistan has prolonged its airspace restrictions on all aircraft registered or operated by India until 4:59 a.m. on July 24, as outlined in a Notice to Airmen (Notam) issued by the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) on Wednesday. This ban encompasses commercial and military planes registered in India, as well as aircraft leased by Indian airlines, which remain prohibited from traversing Pakistani airspace during this period.
The extension of this ban, which initially took effect at 5:50 p.m. on June 16, continues to bar Indian flights from using Pakistan’s air routes. This move follows Pakistan’s initial closure of its airspace to Indian airlines in April last year, a retaliatory measure after New Delhi suspended the crucial Indus Water Treaty amid escalating tensions triggered by the Pahalgam attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). India attributes the attack to Pakistan, which Islamabad denies, calling instead for a transparent investigation.
In response to Pakistan’s airspace closure, India reciprocated by shutting its airspace to Pakistani airlines on April 30 of the previous year. The conflict intensified after the Pahalgam incident when India launched unprovoked strikes on multiple Pakistani cities on May 6-7, 2025. Pakistan retaliated with a large-scale military operation named “Operation Bunyanum Marsoos,” targeting several Indian military sites across various regions. During the conflict, Pakistan downed eight Indian fighter jets, including three Rafale aircraft, along with numerous drones.
The hostilities between the two nuclear-armed neighbors lasted at least 87 hours and concluded on May 10 with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States. While the Indian aviation sector has suffered significant losses due to these restrictions, the impact on Pakistan’s aviation industry has been comparatively limited.
Notably, this is not the first instance of Pakistan imposing such airspace bans on India. Similar closures occurred during the 1999 Kargil conflict and the 2019 Pulwama crisis, both times resulting in more severe disruptions for Indian aviation than for Pakistan.
