ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has extended a ban on Indian aircraft using its airspace for another month, according to a notice issued by the Pakistan Airports Authority, as tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors remain strained more than a year after their latest military confrontation.
The restriction, effective Aug. 18, applies to aircraft registered in India, Indian airlines, aircraft leased by India, and commercial and military aircraft owned or operated by Indian nationals, according to the Notice to Airmen, or NOTAM. The ban is scheduled to remain in effect until 4:59 am Pakistan Standard Time on Sept. 24.
Pakistan first imposed the airspace restriction in April amid heightened tensions with India and has since extended it multiple times.
The escalation followed an April 22 attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), which killed 26 people, most of them tourists.
India subsequently imposed its own airspace restrictions on Pakistani airlines.
Relations deteriorated sharply in May 2025, when India carried out strikes against targets in Pakistan and Pakistan responded with attacks on Indian military installations. The confrontation lasted several days before the two countries agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire on May 10.
The fighting marked one of the most serious military confrontations between the longtime rivals in years and raised international concern over the risk of escalation between two nuclear-armed states.
The prolonged airspace restrictions have disrupted commercial aviation, particularly flights between Europe, the Middle East and South Asia that previously crossed Pakistani airspace. Indian airlines have faced longer routes and higher fuel costs as a result of having to divert around Pakistan, while the impact on Pakistani carriers has been comparatively limited.
Pakistan has imposed airspace restrictions on India during previous periods of heightened tensions, including the 1999 Kargil conflict and the 2019 crisis following the Pulwama attack.
The latest extension underscores the continuing strain in relations despite the absence of sustained military hostilities since the May 2025 ceasefire.