Islamabad: Pakistan has prolonged its airspace restriction on specified Indian civilian and military aircraft, maintaining reciprocal aviation curbs amid ongoing diplomatic tensions between the neighboring countries.
The restriction applies to Indian-registered aircraft as well as planes that are owned, operated, or leased by Indian airlines. According to the Pakistan Airports Authority, the measure will remain active until 4:59 am local time on November 24, 2026.
The Pakistan Airports Authority confirmed the latest extension through an official aviation notice. The directive affects both the Karachi and Lahore flight information regions, which comprise Pakistan's designated airspace.
These restrictions were initially enacted on April 23, 2025, and have faced continuous, periodic renewals since their inception. The aviation curbs followed the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir in April 2025, an incident that prompted reciprocal airspace closures after India accused Islamabad of involvement, a claim that Pakistan rejected.
In response to the initial actions by Islamabad, India closed its own airspace to Pakistani carriers on April 30, 2025. Similar airspace bans have historically been implemented during earlier periods of strained bilateral relations, such as the 1999 Kargil conflict and the 2019 Pulwama crisis.
The continuation of these reciprocal aviation barriers has impacted routine flight operations, requiring airlines to reroute certain international journeys along longer alternative paths.