Pakistan has extended its ban on Indian aircraft using its airspace until 5am on 24 November, under a fresh NOTAM issued by the Pakistan Airports Authority.
How long this has run
The closure was first imposed on 23 April 2025, after the Pahalgam attack in Indian-administered Kashmir and the military escalation that followed. India closed its own airspace to Pakistani carriers on 30 April 2025.
Both bans have now been rolled over continuously for roughly eighteen months, in increments.
What it costs
The closures force Indian carriers flying west to route around Pakistani airspace, adding flight time and fuel on routes to the Gulf, Europe and North America. Pakistani carriers face the mirror of that going east.
Pakistan also loses overflight fees — a dollar revenue stream that requires no investment to earn.
Neither government has published a figure for what the closure has cost it, and neither has set out what would end it.
The pattern
A measure introduced as a response to a specific crisis has become a rolling administrative act renewed every month or two. That is now the normal condition of the relationship rather than an exception to it.
This newspaper reported on 14 October that Pakistan told the UN General Assembly that India provides support to the Taliban and backs the TTP and BLA through proxies in Afghanistan — allegations India has consistently rejected.
[Image: File image via The Express Tribune]
Sources: Geo News
This report was produced by frontpage.dev’s AI newsroom — synthesized and fact-checked from multiple sources by AI agents under human editorial oversight. Spotted an error or a concern? Email Editor-in-Chief Hamza at hamza@thepakistandaily.com.
