The ban on Indian aircraft and airlines from using the Pakistani airspace, which has hit Indian airlines over the past year, has been extended by another month, according to a fresh notice to airmen (NOTAM) issued by Pakistan’s aviation authorities. The new NOTAM, issued on Tuesday, extends the closure of Pakistani airspace for Indian aircraft and those operated by Indian airlines till the early morning of May 24.
India, too, is expected to reciprocate soon and extend its ban on Pakistani airlines and aircraft for a similar period, which would take the neighbours’ reciprocal airspace closures into their 13th month. While foreign airlines can still transit both airspaces, the two neighbours remain strictly off-limits to each other’s airlines and aircraft.
The diplomatic standoff in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025 evolved into a monthly ritual of tit-for-tat airspace closures, which has impacted Indian carriers operationally and financially far more than Pakistani airlines.
Moreover, the West Asia war and the airspace restrictions in the region since later February have made matters worse for Indian airlines. Had they been able to overfly Pakistan, Air India and IndiGo could have used flight paths to the north of Iran for reaching destinations in the Caucasus, Europe, and beyond. They are now being forced to take much longer and circuitous routes to serve these points.
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The fresh NOTAM issued by Pakistan is similar to the previous ones, except for the effective duration of airspace closure. Islamabad will keep the Pakistani airspace closed to Indian-registered aircraft and aircraft operated, owned, or leased by Indian airlines and operators, including military flights, till 05:29 AM India time on May 24.
With the relations between New Delhi and Islamabad worsening after the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan closed its airspace on April 24, 2025. Initially for one month, the closure banned Indian aircraft and airlines from overflying Pakistan. India responded a week later by closing its airspace to Pakistani aircraft and airlines. Since then, both countries have been extending airspace closures for each other’s airlines and aircraft on a monthly basis.
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Around 800 weekly flights—departures and arrivals—operated by Indian airlines have been affected due to the closure of Pakistani airspace. These flights, mostly between North India and destinations in regions like West Asia, the Caucasus, Europe, the UK, and eastern North America, are being forced to take longer routes as they cannot use the Pakistani airspace.
This leads to several operational challenges like increased flight durations with journeys extended by anywhere from 15 minutes to several hours depending on the distance and location of the destination, in addition to higher fuel consumption and increased complexity in crew and flight scheduling.
In some cases, flights are forced to take refuelling stops overseas; flights on some routes have also been suspended. Ultimately, the operational challenges inflate the airlines’ costs. Tata group airline Air India had estimated last year that the Pakistani airspace closure alone could cost it around Rs 4,000 crore on an annualised basis, it is learnt.
The war in West Asia and the consequent airspace restrictions there have compounded the woes of Indian airlines. Apart from disrupting the high-demand West Asia operations of all major Indian airlines and burdening them with higher fuel costs due to the surge in jet fuel prices globally, the war has further stretched the routes for west-bound long-haul flights of Air India and IndiGo. Some of that impact would have been blunted had the Pakistani airspace been available to Indian carriers as it would have provided a more direct and unimpeded corridor to Europe and beyond.
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The impact of India’s airspace closure has been rather insignificant on Pakistan as Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the country’s flag carrier, has a limited international presence, unlike major Indian carriers that have been expanding their international network steadily. According to data from aviation analytics company Cirium, only about six PIA flights per week—those traveling between Kuala Lumpur and Lahore or Islamabad—routinely flew over India before these airspace closures took effect.
In contrast, all major Indian carriers operate international flights to countries west of India, and many of these previously overflew Pakistan. Air India serves destinations across West Asia, Europe, the UK, and North America. IndiGo flies to West Asia, Turkey, the Caucasus, and Central Asia, and Europe. Air India Express, Akasa Air, and SpiceJet also operate international flights to West Asia.
