India on Friday extended the ban on its airspace for flights run by Pakistani airlines for an additional month until June 23, as per sources.
The prohibition enacted on April 30 as a part of several actions by the government against Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack that resulted in 26 deaths was due to end on May 23 (Saturday).
Airspace to remain closed till June 23
According to the new NOTAM released on Friday, Indian airspace will remain closed to aircraft registered in Pakistan, along with planes operated, owned, or leased by Pakistani airlines and operators, until June 23, 2025.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said, “The NOTAM has been extended. We have maintained the status quo. For the time being, on grounds of national security, we’ve removed the Turkish players from ground handling services, cargo services. We are not seeing any problem in the operations. We are going to take guidance from the security agencies in this regard.”
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Pak had also extended closure of its airspace till June 24
The decision follows Pakistan’s extension of the airspace closure for all Indian airlines until June 24.
On April 24, Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian airlines in response to New Delhi’s punitive actions after the Pahalgam terrorist attack.
This announcement comes a day after Lahore Air Traffic Control rejected an Indian plane’s request for temporary access to Pakistani airspace to circumvent turbulence.
Consequently, the Indigo plane flew along the initial flight route, where it faced intense turbulence.
The plane, carrying over 220 passengers, was hit by hail, leading to significant problems with its flight systems. It touched down without incident, but the plane’s “nose radome” sustained damage.
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Meanwhile, the regulations set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) limit such closures to one month at a time.
The extension of the airspace closure aligns with rising tensions between the two neighboring countries, after India’s Operation Sindoor targeted terrorist facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7.
Operation Sindoor was India’s immediate military reaction to the terror attack on April 22 in Pahalgam, Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 26 civilians, marking the most severe assault on civilians since the Mumbai strikes on 26/11.
