New Delhi: India on Friday extended the ban on Pakistani flights and military aircraft till June 23 amid tensions between the two countries following Operation Sindoor and a ceasefire.
“India extends NOTAM for Pakistan flights for one month; to be in effect till 23rd June, 2025. Indian airspace is not approved for ACFTs registered in Pakistan and ACFTs operated/owned or leased by Pakistani airlines/operators, including military flights,” the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement.
Under the new measures, all aircraft leased, owned or operated by Pakistani airlines, including military aircraft, are now prohibited from entering Indian airspace.
This move follows media reports from two days earlier suggesting that Pakistan had extended its airspace closure for Indian flights by another month.
Pakistan initially shut its airspace to Indian flights on April 23, a day after a deadly terrorist attack carried out by operatives linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba. The closure was introduced for a month, in line with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) regulations, which stipulate that airspace restrictions cannot exceed one month at a time.
In response, India issued a NOTAM a week later, restricting its own airspace to all aircraft registered, operated or leased by Pakistan, covering both commercial and military flights.
The latest escalation follows India’s precision military strikes—dubbed ‘Operation Sindoor’—on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan. These strikes were carried out in retaliation for the April 22 attack in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley.
