According to officials, the restrictions will remain in place for all Indian-registered aircraft, including commercial and military aircraft.
This extension comes just before the earlier ban was set to end. Pakistan last extended the ban in mid-October, keeping it in effect until November 24.
As per the latest NOTAM, the renewed ban began at 2:50 pm on November 19 and will continue until 4:59 am on December 24.
Pakistan’s airspace is divided into two main zones, called Flight Information Regions (FIRs), Karachi and Lahore. In aviation charts, these are marked as OPKR (Karachi FIR) and OPLR (Lahore FIR). The new order from Pakistan applies to both regions, meaning the restriction covers the country’s entire controlled airspace.
The restriction has been in place since April 24, when Pakistan introduced several retaliatory steps after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty following the Pahalgam attack, which left 26 people dead.
Air India CEO Campbell Wilson recently revealed that the airline has already suffered Rs 4,000 crore in losses due to Pakistan’s flight restrictions, as they have to take longer routes to reach Western countries.
Air India has asked the central government to convince China to let Indian aircraft use Chinese airspace over Xinjiang.
The request comes amid Pakistan’s ongoing airspace ban, which is causing major financial losses for Indian airlines. Notably, flights between India and China resumed only last month after a long gap of five-and-a-half years.
A senior official told The New Indian Express, “We asked the government to speak to China about opening a section of its military airspace for Indian flights. Because of Pakistan’s closure, Indian carriers are forced to take longer alternative routes to reach destinations in Europe and North America.”
“It all depends on government-to-government talks. Without China’s approval, Air India cannot operate through that corridor,” the official further stated.
