The Pakistan Airports Authority has issued a new Notice to Airmen extending the closure of Pakistani airspace to Indian flights (Geo News).
Effective from August 18, the ban applies to all aircraft registered in India, Indian airlines, aircraft leased by India, and commercial and military aircraft owned or operated by Indian nationals. It runs until 4:59am Pakistan Standard Time on September 24.
This is the sixteenth Notam issued to extend the restriction, which was first imposed on April 23, 2025.
The rolling monthly renewal is itself the story. What began as a response to a specific crisis has become a standing condition of South Asian aviation, renewed sixteen times without either side treating it as a matter for negotiation.
Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian carriers after New Delhi suspended the Indus Waters Treaty following the Pahalgam attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. India accused Pakistan of involvement, which Islamabad denied while calling for an independent and transparent investigation.
The cost falls mainly on Indian carriers, which must route westbound flights around Pakistani airspace, adding flight time and fuel to services to the Gulf, Europe and North America.
The treaty suspension that triggered it remains in place. India has kept the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance and rejected a Court of Arbitration ruling in Pakistan’s favour in May on how much water it may hold back on the western rivers. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described Pakistan’s water as a “red line” on the eve of Independence Day.
