Pakistan has extended its ban on Indian airlines and aircraft from using its airspace by another month, pushing the restriction to the early hours of January 24, according to a fresh notice to airmen (NOTAM) issued by Pakistani aviation authorities. India is expected to reciprocate shortly by extending its own ban on Pakistani aircraft, taking the tit-for-tat airspace restrictions into their ninth consecutive month.
The latest NOTAM mirrors earlier notices, with the only change being the duration of the closure. Under the extension, Pakistan’s airspace will remain closed to Indian-registered aircraft, as well as aircraft owned, operated or leased by Indian airlines and operators — including military flights — until 5:29 a.m. IST on January 24.
The airspace restrictions were first imposed in April following a sharp deterioration in ties between New Delhi and Islamabad after the Pahalgam terror attack. Pakistan announced the initial ban on April 24 for one month, prompting India to respond with a reciprocal closure on April 30. Since then, both countries have extended the restrictions on a monthly basis through successive NOTAMs. While the bans apply to each other’s airlines and aircraft, both airspaces remain open to carriers from third countries.
Pakistan issued its latest extension about a week before the previous notice was set to expire on November 24. India’s current ban on Pakistani aircraft is also due to lapse on November 24, and Indian aviation authorities are expected to issue a new NOTAM extending it by another month before then.
The impact of the closure has been significant for Indian carriers. Around 800 weekly flights operated by Indian airlines have been affected, particularly those flying from North India to West Asia, the Caucasus, Europe, the UK and eastern North America. Forced rerouting has added anywhere from 15 minutes to several hours to flight times, increasing fuel burn, complicating crew and aircraft scheduling, and driving up operating costs.
Last month, Air India wrote to the Indian government seeking assistance in persuading China to allow the airline to use a restricted military airspace corridor in Xinjiang to shorten routes and offset losses from the Pakistani airspace closure. The airline estimates the ban could cost it roughly ₹4,000 crore annually.
By contrast, the impact on Pakistan has been limited. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which has a relatively small and struggling international network, previously operated only about six weekly flights that routinely overflew Indian airspace, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Indian airlines, however, operate extensive international networks west of India. Air India serves destinations across West Asia, Europe, the UK and North America. IndiGo flies to West Asia, Turkey, the Caucasus and Central Asia, and has recently expanded into Europe. The closure has forced IndiGo to suspend Delhi flights to Almaty and Tashkent, as the longer routes exceeded the operational range of its narrow-body aircraft. Other carriers, including Air India Express, Akasa Air and SpiceJet, have also been affected, particularly on West Asia routes.
