Pakistan has extended its ban on Indian aircraft using its airspace, pushing the restrictions forward to 24 December, in a move that underscores the continued chill between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
The latest notice to airmen (Notam), issued by the Pakistan Airports Authority on Wednesday, comes just four days before the previous ban was due to lapse. The directive, which took effect at 2.50pm local time on 19 November, applies to all Indian-registered aircraft, as well as planes owned, operated or leased by Indian airlines — including military flights. The closure covers both Karachi and Lahore flight information regions, stretching from ground level to unlimited altitude.
Airspace between the two countries has remained largely sealed since late April, when tensions soared following a deadly attack in Pahalgam, in Indian Kashmir, that killed 26 people. India accused Pakistan of backing the assault — an allegation Islamabad firmly rejected, offering instead a neutral investigation. The standoff escalated into the fiercest military confrontation in decades, with Pakistan claiming to have shot down seven Indian jets.
In response to New Delhi’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty after the Pahalgam attack, Islamabad announced a raft of countermeasures, including the airspace closure now in force.
Economic fallout on both sides
The ban has caused mounting financial strain for Indian carriers, particularly for Air India, the only Indian airline with an extensive international network. Rerouted long-haul flights have added up to three hours of travel time on some routes, pushing fuel costs up by almost 30%, according to internal documents submitted to Indian officials.
The airline — jointly owned by Tata Group and Singapore Airlines — has estimated annual losses of $455m due to the closure, eclipsing its entire pre-tax loss for the previous financial year.
Other Indian carriers, including IndiGo, have also been forced into longer, costlier detours. Air India has been lobbying the Indian government to secure permission from China to use a restricted military air corridor over Xinjiang in a bid to shorten its flights.
Pakistan, too, is counting the cost. Its Airports Authority reported a Rs4.1bn shortfall in August, barely two months after barring Indian aircraft from its skies.
A freeze with no end in sight
The ban’s extension suggests neither side is preparing to de-escalate. Diplomatic channels remain largely dormant, while political rhetoric in both capitals has hardened. With both countries locked in a cycle of suspicion and retaliation, the skies over South Asia look set to remain closed — and the economic toll to rise — for the foreseeable future.
