Indian Extends Airspace Ban On Pakistani Aircraft Till Oct 24

Aircraft of Pakistan airlines or any Pakistani operator will not be able to use Indian airspace, as India has extended the closure of its airspace for Pakistan till 5:29 a.m. on Oct. 24, NDTV reported on Monday.

The ban includes all aircraft registered in Pakistan — passenger aircraft, cargo aircraft, and military aircraft.

India had shut its airspace to Pakistan-owned and operated planes on April 30, shortly following Islamabad's decision to close its airspace to all flights owned and operated by Indian carriers, affecting an estimated 100–150 planes.

The move came amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of the horrific terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, in which 26 civilians were gunned down by terrorists.

India had issued a NOTAM (notice to airmen) under which Pakistani aircrafts are barred from Indian airspace, initially until May 23. Since then, the ban has been extended at least thrice.

In May, the Ministry of Civil Aviation formed a committee to assess the financial impact on Indian airlines resulting from the ban on usage of Pakistani airspace, NDTV Profit had reported, based on inputs received from people in the know. The panel was to suggest relief measures to mitigate the impact on the financially stressed airline sector.

"The feedback received from the industry is currently being studied in detail, and based on this, specific relief measures will be announced," sources had told NDTV Profit. Various measures, including possible tax exemption and subsidies, had been proposed by airline representatives.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's closure of its airspace for Indian aircraft had cost Pakistan PKR 4.10 billion (approximately Rs 127 crore) in just over two months, according to figures presented in the country's National Assembly last month.