The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of Pakistan has declared the closure of its airspace to airlines registered in India, following a decision to suspend overflight permissions due to escalating tensions with New Delhi. This restriction, communicated through a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen), applies to all Indian civil and military aircraft, as well as any aircraft operated or leased by Indian airlines. The ban is set to remain in place for an initial period of one month.
Indian airlines, such as Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air, will be heavily impacted, with daily overflights between Pakistan and India estimated at 70 to 100. These flights typically rely on Pakistani airspace for routes to destinations in the Middle East, Europe, and beyond, including major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Goa, and Lucknow.
The closure is expected to extend flight durations by as much as two hours, leading to millions of rupees in additional operational costs each day, according to aviation analysts.