Pakistan extends airspace ban for Indian aircraft till Jan 23, New Delhi likely to reciprocate

Representational Image

Pakistan on Wednesday extended its airspace ban for Indian aircraft by another month till January 23.

Pakistan closed its airspace to India’s airlines in April after the Pahalgam attack. India too has imposed a similar ban on Pakistan and is likely to reciprocate to the fresh ‘notice to airmen’ (NOTAM) issued by the neighbouring country on Wednesday.

The previous extension was set to expire on December 24 but the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) extended the restrictions on Wednesday till January 23.

“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 PAA said.

According to the NOTAM (Notice to Airmen), the restriction, which has already been in force, “will continue until January 23, 2026, as per the specified timings.” 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 Karachi (OPKR) and Lahore (OPLR) FIRs.

A terror attack in April in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26 people led to a four-day conflict in May between India and Pakistan, Islamabad has several times extended its ban on Indian airlines flying over its airspace. India too has imposed a similar ban on Pakistan.