Some westbound operations for Indian carriers are about to get more complicated…
Pakistan bans Indian aircraft from its airspace
Pakistan’s government has today decided to close Pakistani airspace to “all Indian owned or Indian operated airlines.” A NOTAM has been issued by Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority, and the restrictions apply as of 6PM IST today (Thursday, April 24, 2025).
This development follows escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, after Tuesday’s militant attack in Pahalgam, where at least 26 tourists were killed by gunfire. This marks the deadliest attack in Indian-administered Kashmir since 2019.
Responding to these attacks, India has closed its border crossings to Pakistan, has suspended a critical water sharing treaty, and has expelled diplomats. Now Pakistan is taking reciprocal action, and that includes closing airspace, among other things.
India of course has a huge airline industry, and many westbound flights from India use Pakistani airspace, including for flights to Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. So closing this airspace will prove complicated, and will add more flying time to some routes. Given the geography, this has more implications for flights out of Delhi (DEL) than flights out of Mumbai (BOM).
We’re already seeing some refueling diversions, for aircraft that are in the fair. For example, Air India’s flight to Delhi out of Toronto (YYZ) has diverted to Copenhagen (CPH).
We saw similar airspace closures in 2019
In 2019, we similarly saw Pakistan close its airspace to India. At that time, the airspace wasn’t just closed to aircraft registered in India, but also to any flights operating to and from India. This meant that carriers like Air Canada and United were impacted as well. This time around, it seems the new restrictions are targeted specifically at aircraft from India.
During the 2019 saga, the airspace stayed closed for around five months, before restrictions were eased. The 2019 situation was also caused by a conflict in Kashmir. Only time will tell how long this situation lasts. Will it be days, weeks, months, years, or…?
Bottom line
Pakistan is closing its airspace to Indian aircraft, whether they’re registered there, or operating on behalf of Indian carriers. This follows escalating tensions between the two countries, after a fatal attack a couple of day ago.
The airline industry faces a lot of headwind, and geopolitics sure can cause some additional complications. It remains to be seen how long this lasts. We last saw restrictions like this in 2019, when they lasted for around five months.
What do you make of Pakistan closing its airspace to Indian carriers, and how do you see this playing out?
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