Pakistan Extends Airspace Ban on Indian Aircraft to 24 October

Pakistan has extended its airspace ban on Indian aircraft until 04:59 am PKT on 24 October 2026. The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) issued the notice, NOTAM A0521/26, on 16 September 2026. It covers Indian-registered aircraft and any aircraft owned, operated or leased by Indian airlines, including military flights.

A NOTAM is a "notice to airmen". It is the official message that tells pilots and airlines what is open, closed or changed in the air. We read this one, and every notice before it, on the NOTAM search that PAA runs on its own website.

Nothing changes for Pakistani passengers. The ban names only Indian aircraft and Indian operators. PIA, the other Pakistani airlines and foreign airlines flying in and out of Pakistan are not covered by its wording.

This is the 18th notice in a row. The first came on 24 April 2025, and PAA has renewed it about once a month ever since, each time running to the 23rd of the following month.

The new notice runs until 04:59 am PKT on 24 October 2026

NOTAM A0521/26 took effect at 05:45 UTC on 16 September 2026, which is 10:45 am PKT. It ends at 23:59 UTC on 23 October 2026. Pakistan is five hours ahead of UTC, so the ban ends at 04:59 am PKT on 24 October.

International rules say NOTAM times are written in UTC, and that is how we read them here. One small trap: the list on the PAA website shows the times five hours earlier, as if they were already in PKT. The notice text itself says 2359, and the reported end time of 04:59 am PKT matches the UTC reading.

The notice replaced the one before it, A0476/26, which was due to end on 23 September. So there was no gap between the two. Here is the notice in plain English:

The ban covers Indian aircraft and Indian operators only

The notice closes Pakistan's airspace to three groups: aircraft registered in India, aircraft owned, operated or leased by Indian airlines or operators, and Indian military flights. It does not name any other country's airlines, so they are not covered by it.

The word "leased" matters. An Indian airline that flies a plane registered in another country, under a lease, is still covered. What decides it is who runs the flight, not just the letters painted on the tail.

The notice covers the Karachi and Lahore flight information regions. A flight information region, or FIR, is a block of sky that one country's air traffic control is in charge of. Pakistan has two, and together they cover the whole country. So the ban is not limited to a border strip. It applies across all of Pakistan's airspace.

The notice says nothing about ships, trains, road crossings or visas. It is about aircraft only.

Pakistani and foreign airlines can still fly in and out of Pakistan

If you are flying on PIA, another Pakistani airline, or a Gulf, Turkish, Chinese or European carrier, this notice does not touch your flight. It names only Indian aircraft. Your route into or out of Pakistan should run as normal.

There is one reported catch in the other direction. India closed its own airspace to Pakistani aircraft from 30 April 2025, according to reports, and has renewed that closure in step with Pakistan. We could not read India's notice on an official Indian site, so treat its dates as reported. If it holds, Pakistani airlines cannot cross India, and a route that once did has to go around.

For most trips from Pakistan, to the Gulf, Saudi Arabia for Umrah, Turkey, Europe or the UK, the path does not cross India. So day-to-day travel is unaffected. The things that really stop a Pakistani passenger at the airport are paperwork. An expired NICOP can stop you boarding a flight home, and workers heading abroad still need emigrant protection before they leave.

If you have a booking that connects through an Indian city on an Indian airline, check it with the airline. That is the one case where this ban could touch a traveller from Pakistan.

PAA has renewed the ban 17 times since April 2025

The first notice, A0220/25, took effect on 24 April 2025. Since then PAA has issued 17 more, each replacing the last. Every one uses the same wording and ends at 23:59 UTC on the 23rd of a month. We found all 18 on PAA's NOTAM search.

The pattern is steady. A new notice usually lands about a week before the old one runs out, and it always picks up the same end time. Each one is filed as a replacement, so the ban has never lapsed, even for an hour.

The ban began in April 2025, after the attack at Pahalgam on 22 April 2025. Both governments then took a series of steps against each other. The notices themselves give no reason, and we are reporting only what they say.

You can check the next extension yourself on the PAA website

PAA publishes every NOTAM on its own website, free to search. If the pattern holds, the next notice should appear around mid-October 2026, before this one ends on 24 October. You can check it without waiting for a news report.

1. Open the NOTAM page on the Pakistan Airports Authority website, paa.gov.pk.
2. Type INDIAN in the search box. That brings up the airspace notices.
3. Look at the newest entry and its status. "Valid" means it is in force now.
4. Open the text file. Read the B) and C) lines for the start and end.
5. Add five hours to the UTC time to get PKT. 2359 on the 23rd becomes 04:59 am on the 24th.

One warning from our own search. The website list shows start and end times five hours behind the text file. Trust the text file. The same PAA also runs the country's airports, so it is the body to contact on things like parking at Lahore airport too.

Common questions

Until when is Pakistan's airspace closed to Indian aircraft?

Until 23:59 UTC on 23 October 2026, which is 04:59 am PKT on 24 October, under NOTAM A0521/26. It can be extended again before then.

Does the ban affect PIA or other airlines flying to Pakistan?

No. The notice names only Indian-registered aircraft and aircraft owned, operated or leased by Indian operators. Pakistani and other foreign airlines are not in it.

Can a foreign airline fly over Pakistan to reach India?

The notice does not stop it. Its wording covers Indian aircraft and Indian operators only, so a non-Indian airline is not named.

When did the ban on Indian aircraft start?

The first notice, A0220/25, took effect on 24 April 2025. PAA has replaced it with a new notice about once a month since then.

Has India closed its airspace to Pakistani aircraft too?

Yes, according to reports, from 30 April 2025, renewed in step with Pakistan. We could not read India's current notice on an official Indian site.

Are Indian military aircraft covered?

Yes. The notice says "including military flights" in plain words.

Last checked and sources

Last checked 25 September 2026. We read NOTAM A0521/26 and all 17 earlier notices in the chain, A0220/25 to A0476/26, including their full text files, on the NOTAM search of the Pakistan Airports Authority website. Start and end dates in our tables come from the B) and C) lines of those texts, read as UTC. The PAA list view shows the same times five hours earlier, and we have gone by the text. The PKT start time of 10:45 am and end time of 04:59 am on 24 October match what was reported when the notice was issued. India's reciprocal closure from 30 April 2025 and its later renewals are reported only; we could not open India's notice on an official Indian source.