Pakistan extends airspace ban on Indian aircraft until March 23

The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) has announced the extension of airspace restrictions on Indian aircraft until March 23. The ban, which includes both civil and military Indian registered aircraft, applies to the Karachi and Lahore flight information regions (FIRs), as outlined in a new notice to airmen (Notam).

The airspace closure, initially imposed in April 2025, was a result of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, following a deadly attack in India-held Kashmir that killed 26 people. Pakistan had closed its airspace on April 24, 2025, and the ban has been extended several times since then. 

In May 2025, the two countries engaged in their most intense military conflict in decades, with Pakistan claiming to have downed seven Indian jets. Since then, the airspace restrictions have remained in place, significantly impacting air traffic.

The ongoing ban has also affected the financial operations of Pakistan's airspace, and it was reported in November 2025 that Air India had lobbied its government to negotiate with China for the use of a sensitive military airspace zone in Xinjiang to shorten flight routes.