The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) on Wednesday extended restrictions on Indian aircraft, keeping Pakistan’s airspace closed to them until January 23, 2026. The extension was announced a week before the earlier deadline was due to expire on December 24.
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In a notification issued through a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), the authority said the ban applies to all Indian-registered aircraft. This includes planes owned, operated or leased by Indian airlines, as well as Indian military flights.
Pakistan extends unavailability of its airspace to January 23 for aircraft registered in India and aircraft operated/owned or leased by Indian airlines/operators including military flights.
Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued: pic.twitter.com/ft6HYd7QWi
— Pakistan Aviation News 🇵🇰 (@avpak3) December 17, 2025
The PAA said the restriction, which has already been in force for several months, will remain effective under the specified timings until the new deadline. The NOTAM confirms that the decision applies across Pakistan’s entire controlled airspace.
Pakistan’s airspace is divided into two flight information regions, Karachi and Lahore. According to aviation authorities, the restrictions apply to both the Karachi (OPKR) and Lahore (OPLR) FIRs.
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India and Pakistan closed their airspaces to each other’s airlines following a sharp escalation in tensions in late April. The situation deteriorated after an attack in Pahalgam, located in Indian-administered Kashmir, which left 26 people dead.
New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing the attack, an allegation Pakistan strongly denied. Pakistani authorities called for a neutral investigation and rejected claims of involvement.
🚨 🇮🇳 REPORT: Pakistan once again extends airspace ban on India, with losses for Indian airlines crossing the $1 billion mark within just 5 months.
— Major losses for Indian aviation. pic.twitter.com/OGk8D1mPZo
— Zard si Gana (@ZardSi) October 6, 2025
In early May, tensions further intensified as the two nuclear-armed neighbours engaged in their most serious military confrontation in decades. Pakistan later claimed it had shot down seven Indian fighter jets during the conflict.
The ongoing airspace closure has also had financial implications for regional aviation. In November, reports emerged that Air India was lobbying the Indian government to persuade China to allow access to a sensitive military airspace zone in Xinjiang.
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Such access would enable Indian carriers to shorten long-haul routes currently affected by the ban on flying over Pakistan. For now, however, the extended restrictions signal no immediate easing of aviation limitations between the two countries.