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Pakistan extends airspace ban on Indian planes till April 24 again

Airspace closure continues as tensions stay high between Pakistan and India

By Fahad Last updated Mar 18, 2026

Pakistan Airports Authority – (Web Desk) – Pakistan has extended its ban on Indian airlines and aircraft for another month. The restriction has now been in place for almost a year.

The Pakistan Airports Authority issued a new Notice to Airmen. It confirmed that Indian-registered planes cannot use Pakistan’s airspace until April 24.

This ban started on April 23, 2025. Since then, Indian airlines have faced heavy financial losses worth billions of rupees.

Pakistan took this step after India suspended the Indus Water Treaty. Tensions had already increased after the deadly Pahalgam attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

In response, India also closed its airspace to Pakistani airlines on April 30.

Pakistan airspace will remain closed to Indian-registered aircraft and those operated, owned, or leased by Indian airlines/operators, including military flights, until early hours of 24 April 2026. #PAA

— Pakistan Airports Authority (@Pk_PAA_Official) March 18, 2026

Later, on May 6 and 7, 2025, India carried out attacks on several Pakistani cities.

In response, Pakistan’s armed forces launched a large-scale retaliatory military action, “Operation Bunyanum Marsoos”, and targeted several Indian military targets across multiple regions.

Pakistan downed seven Indian fighter jets, including three Rafale, and dozens of drones. After at least 87 hours, the war between the two nuclear-armed nations ended on May 10 with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States.

While India’s aviation industry has faced heavy losses, the impact on Pakistani aviation has been minimal.

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This is not the first time Pakistan has imposed such restrictions. Airspace closures were previously enacted during the 1999 Kargil conflict and the 2019 Pulwama crisis, both instances in which India faced greater aviation disruptions than Pakistan.