Pak further extends airspace ban on Indian airlines till May 24

Pakistan extended its ban on Indian aircraft using its airspace until May 24, 2026, amid ongoing tensions after the Pahalgam attack, impacting Indian airlines and escalating reciprocal restrictions between both nations

Islamabad: Pakistan on Tuesday further extended the ban on Indian aircraft from using its airspace for another month. Pakistan has kept its airspace shut to Indian flights since April 24, 2025, a move that reportedly caused a loss of billions of rupees to the Indian airlines.

The Pakistan Airports Authority said in the Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) that “all Indian-registered, leased, commercial and military aircraft will remain barred from Pakistani airspace until 5 am on May 24, 2026”. The notice was issued days before the previous one was set to expire on April 24.

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Pakistan closed its airspace for Indian airlines following tension in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, for which New Delhi blamed Islamabad. Pakistan, however, rejected the allegations and also called for a transparent inquiry. India, in response, also closed its airspace to Pakistani airlines. Pakistan has imposed such restrictions on India for the first time.

The ban has hit commercial Indian airlines badly as they used Pakistani airspace to operate most of their flights to and from different Indian cities to Gulf countries in particular. Airspace closures were previously enacted during the 1999 Kargil conflict and the 2019 Pulwama crisis.