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Pakistan on Friday extended the airspace ban for Indian aircraft till October 24, according to a statement by the Pakistan Aviation Authority (PAA).
Last month, the government extended the closure of its airspace to Indian aircraft for another month, until September 25, according to a NOTAM (notice to airmen) issued on August 22.
New Delhi had accused Islamabad, without evidence, of orchestrating April’s deadly attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam. Pakistan had strongly denied the allegations and called for a neutral probe. As the situation turned into a major military confrontation between the nuclear powers, it took American intervention for both sides to agree to a ceasefire.
On April 24, Pakistan’s top brass had announced a series of measures, including the closure of its airspace to all India-owned or Indian-operated airlines with immediate effect, as it retaliated against New Delhi’s slew of aggressive measures against the country.
PAA spokesperson Saifullah Khan confirmed to Dawn.com that the airspace closure for Indian aircraft had been extended till October 24.
A copy of the NOTAM, available with Dawn.com, also confirmed the closure.
“Pakistan’s airspace will remain closed to Indian registered aircraft. This ban applies to all aircraft owned, operated or leased by Indian airlines or operators. This includes military flights,” the statement by the PAA spokesperson said.
“The ban will come into effect from 1:00pm (PKT) on 19 September 2025 and will end at 4:59am (PKT) on October 24 2025 (end time is approximate). The ban will be effective from ground level to unlimited altitude,” the PAA said.
The two neighbouring nations closed their airspaces multiple times during the hostilities in May. Pakistan reopened its airspace for all types of flights on May 10 after the ceasefire was announced.
During the conflict, PAA announced on May 7 that air traffic had been restored on major routes, while at least 21 airports across India’s northern and north-western regions had been closed for passenger flights until May 10.
According to PAA, some airspace, particularly sections over Lahore, remained closed for another 24 hours due to “operational reasons,” a revised NOTAM had said.
The NOTAM had specified that certain airspace sections over Lahore would be temporarily unavailable at all altitudes from 10:50am on May 7, until 12:20pm on May 9, while flights taking off from or landing at Islamabad International Airport were directed to contact Air Traffic Control (ATC) for clearance.
Additional reporting by Abyan Amir.
