ISLAMABAD — Pakistan has extended its closure of airspace to Indian aircraft for another month through a new Notice to Airmen, as the original ban nears its one-year anniversary.
The Pakistan Airports Authority said all Indian-registered, leased, commercial and military aircraft will be barred from entering Pakistani airspace until 5 a.m. on May 24, 2026.
Pakistan has kept its airspace closed to Indian flights since April 24, 2025. The closure has cost Indian airlines several billion rupees.
Tensions between the two countries escalated after the attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir. New Delhi suspended the key Indus Waters Treaty, prompting Pakistan to retaliate by closing its airspace to Indian airlines. India blamed Islamabad for the attack, but Pakistan denied involvement and called for a transparent investigation.
India followed Pakistan’s move by closing its own airspace to Pakistani aircraft on April 30.
Islamabad said India launched “unprovoked” strikes on Pakistani cities on May 6-7, 2025, following the Pahalgam attack. In response, Pakistan’s armed forces launched a large-scale counter-military operation called “Operation Bunyan al-Marsoos,” striking various Indian military targets.
Pakistan said it shot down seven Indian fighter jets, including three Rafales, and many drones. After about 87 hours of fighting, a U.S.-brokered cease-fire on May 10 ended the conflict between the two nuclear-armed countries.
India’s aviation sector suffered significant losses during the period, while Pakistan’s aviation industry was relatively less affected.
Pakistan also closed its airspace during the 1999 Kargil conflict and the 2019 Pulwama crisis. Indian aviation was severely disrupted in both cases.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report