India extends airspace closure on Pakistani aircraft till Sep 24

New Delhi: India has further extended the closure of its airspace to Pakistan-registered aircraft, covering planes owned, leased, or operated by Pakistani airlines and operators as well as military flights, until September 24.

As per India’s latest NOTAM, an official notice providing critical updates for pilots and flight operators, Pakistani aircraft are barred from transiting Indian airspace until 23:59 UTC on September 23 (05:30 IST on September 24).

Pakistan has also extended its reciprocal airspace restrictions for Indian aircraft till the same date.

Through different Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs), both countries formally announced the change. Pakistan, through its August 20 NOTAM, has continued parallel restrictions on Indian aircraft.

India first imposed the restrictions on April 30 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 Indian citizens on April 22.

The ban has been extended on a rolling monthly basis after initially being scheduled to expire on May 24.

Earlier last month, India extended the ban on Pakistani aircraft from entering the domestic airspace till August 23 after Pakistan’s earlier decision to bar Indian flights from its airspace.

NOTAM was issued against the backdrop of India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’, which was launched on May 7, in retaliation for the terror attack in Pahalgam, where Pakistan-sponsored terrorists killed 26 innocent people.

A NOTAM is issued when a specific airspace needs to be cleared of civilian air traffic. Similar notices were issued during previous tensions with Pakistan to ensure that no passenger aircraft would be caught in the middle of potential aerial operations. It helps prevent civilian casualties by keeping commercial aircraft away from zones of military activity.

IANS