RAWALPINDI: The Pa­­kistan Airports Authority (PAA) on Wednesday ex­­t­ended the airspace restrictions on Indian aircraft for another month, until January 23, according to a Notam (notice to airmen) issued on Wednesday.

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.

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 India-held 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.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2025