What next for Pakistan's airspace ban on Indian airlines

Pakistan's ban on Indian aircraft using its airspace is due to run until 04:59 AM on 24 October 2026, under the latest monthly notice from the Pakistan Airports Authority. The ban, in place since April 2025, has been extended month after month, forcing Indian airlines onto longer routes to Europe, North America and the Gulf.

India, meanwhile, is in talks with China about letting Indian airlines fly over Xinjiang, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said last month.

Key points

• Latest NOTAM: Pakistani airspace closed to Indian-registered and Indian-operated aircraft, including military flights, until 04:59 AM on 24 October 2026.
• It covers both of Pakistan's flight information regions, Karachi and Lahore.
• The ban began after the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025; India imposed a matching ban on Pakistani airlines.
• Air India has estimated the closure costs it about $455 million a year in profit before tax, according to Skift.
• India and China have discussed a route over Hotan in Xinjiang for more than a year, with no agreement announced.

What the airspace ban means

A NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) is the formal notice aviation authorities issue to tell pilots about restrictions. Pakistan's latest notice bars aircraft that are registered in India or owned, operated or leased by Indian airlines, as well as Indian military aircraft, from its airspace, Deccan Chronicle reported.

Because Pakistan sits directly west of northern India, the closure forces westbound flights from Delhi and other northern cities to route south over the Arabian Sea. Air India has said some long-haul flights take up to three extra hours, and fuel costs have risen by as much as 29%, Skift reported. It suspended its Delhi–Washington service in August 2025.

Foreign airlines that can still use Pakistani airspace don't face the detour, which makes them more competitive on routes between India and Europe or North America.

Pakistan airspace ban on Indian airlines: the China option

Naidu said in late September that India has been talking to China for more than a year about using airspace over Xinjiang, with a route over Hotan under discussion, according to Skift and other reports. Air India has estimated that a Hotan corridor could reduce its losses by about $1.13 million a week.

No agreement or start date has been announced. The talks come as India and China rebuild aviation links that were frozen for five years: direct flights have resumed, with Air India restarting Delhi–Shanghai flights in February 2026.

Why it matters: For Indian travellers and the diaspora in Europe and North America, the ban means longer, costlier flights home. For India's airlines, it's a lasting cost at a time of rising fuel prices. For readers abroad, the closed skies are one of the most visible everyday effects of the frozen relationship between India and Pakistan.

What to watch on 24 October

The current notice expires early on 24 October. Pakistan has extended the ban each month since April 2025. Whether either side changes course will be clear around that date.

A map of the world's flight paths shows a gap where two neighbours meet. Every Indian traveller to London or Toronto pays for it in hours and fares. Whether it narrows depends less on aviation than on politics.