Pakistan extends airspace ban for Indian aircraft till Jan 23

Published
A photo of an Air India plane. —AFP/File
A photo of an Air India plane. —AFP/File

The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) on Wednesday extended the airspace restrictions on Indian aircraft till January 23.

The extension was notified a week before the previous one was set to expire on December 24.

“Pakistan airspace will remain closed to Indian-registered aircraft, including all aircraft owned, operated, or leased by Indian airlines, as well as Indian military flights,” the authority said,

“According to the NOTAM, the restriction, which has already been in force, will continue until January 23, 2026, as per the specified timings,” it said.

 Notam issued by the Pakistan Airports Authority.
Notam issued by the Pakistan Airports Authority.

Pakistan’s airspace is divided into two flight information regions (FIRs) — Karachi and Lahore, according to a Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) document from 2022. The Notam applies to both the Karachi (OPKR) and Lahore (OPLR) FIRs.

India and Pakistan have closed their airspaces to each other’s airlines since tensions between them escalated in late April in the wake of an attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people.

New Delhi, without evidence, had alleged that Islamabad backed the attack. Pakistan strongly denied any involvement and offered a neutral probe. Then, in early May, the nuclear-armed nations fought their fiercest military conflict in decades. Pakistan says it downed seven Indian jets during the conflict.

Amid a financial toll from a ban on Indian carriers flying over Pakistan, it was reported in November that Air India was lobbying the Indian government to convince China to let it use a sensitive military airspace zone in Xinjiang to shorten routes.

Opinion

Editorial

Frozen Award
Updated 22 Jul, 2026

Frozen Award

KP’S petition before the Federal Constitutional Court, seeking Rs964bn as the province’s claimed share of tax...
Delayed pricing
22 Jul, 2026

Delayed pricing

THE ongoing delay in making new, approved lifesaving medicines available to patients is a serious lapse in...
Joint prayers
22 Jul, 2026

Joint prayers

IN a country which has witnessed monstrous bouts of sectarian violence, even symbolic gestures by clerics belonging...
GB Assembly’s demand
Updated 21 Jul, 2026

GB Assembly’s demand

THE newly elected Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly last week adopted a unanimous resolution asking the centre to grant the...
Spain’s statement
21 Jul, 2026

Spain’s statement

IT was a one-sided affair for the most part. The FIFA World Cup 2026 concluded in the early hours of Monday for...
Slow death
21 Jul, 2026

Slow death

MANCHHAR Lake, which is situated at the foot of the Kirthar range, was once Pakistan’s largest freshwater body ...