Pakistan extends airspace ban on Indian civilian and military aircraft until June 24

By Staff Reporter

ISLAMABAD: The airports authority has extended its prohibition on all Indian civilian and military aircraft using Pakistani airspace, pushing the restrictions into late June as tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors continue more than a year after a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir triggered a brief but intense conflict.

The Pakistan Airports Authority issued a fresh Notice to Airmen on Tuesday announcing that the ban, previously set to expire at 5 a.m. on May 24, would remain in force until 4:59 a.m. on June 24. The extension took effect at 10:40 a.m. Tuesday.

“Pakistan airspace not available for Indian registered aircraft and aircraft operated/owned or leased by Indian airlines/operators, including military flights,” the notice stated. The restrictions apply to both of Pakistan’s flight information regions — Karachi, designated OPKR, and Lahore, designated OPLR — according to a 2022 document from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority.

A spokesperson for the authority said the measures cover all Indian-registered aircraft, including commercial and military planes, as well as those leased by Indian carriers. The ban took hold in late April 2025, when Pakistan’s military leadership announced a series of retaliatory steps after a deadly attack in Pahalgam in Indian-occupied Kashmir.

India blamed Islamabad for the assault and, without presenting evidence, accused Pakistan of backing it. Pakistan rejected the allegation and offered to join a neutral investigation. In response to aggressive Indian measures — including New Delhi’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty — Pakistan closed its airspace to all India-owned or India-operated airlines effective April 24, 2025.

India reciprocated on April 30, 2025, shutting its own airspace to Pakistani carriers. The dispute escalated rapidly. On May 6 and 7, 2025, India launched strikes on multiple Pakistani cities. Pakistan responded with a large-scale retaliatory operation code-named “Bunyanum Marsoos,” targeting Indian military sites across several regions.

Pakistani forces said they downed eight Indian fighter jets, including three Rafale aircraft, along with dozens of drones during what officials described as the fiercest air battle between the two countries in years. The fighting ended after at least 87 hours with a cease-fire agreement brokered by the United States on May 10, 2025.

The airspace ban has been extended repeatedly since then. The latest prolongation, officials said, will continue to impose heavy financial losses on Indian airlines — already estimated in the billions of rupees — while the effect on Pakistani aviation has remained minimal.

Pakistan has used similar airspace restrictions before. It imposed them during the 1999 Kargil conflict and again after the 2019 Pulwama crisis, episodes in which Indian carriers bore the greater disruption.