Pakistan keeps its airspace closed to Indian airlines until 24 October

What has changed

Pakistan’s Airports Authority has issued a fresh Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) extending its airspace restrictions on Indian aircraft for another month. According to PTI’s report of 16 September, the extension took effect at 10:45 am that Wednesday and runs “until 04:59 am on Oct 24, 2026”. It covers both of Pakistan’s flight information regions, Karachi and Lahore. The previous notice was due to expire on 24 September.

The scope is unchanged. In PTI’s words, Pakistani airspace is “not available for Indian registered aircraft and aircraft operated/owned or leased by Indian airlines/operators, including military flights”. The Nation, a Pakistani daily, reported on 17 September that this is the 17th notice issued to extend the restriction since it was first imposed on 23 April 2025, after the Pahalgam attack. India closed its own airspace to Pakistani airlines on 30 April 2025. We have not confirmed whether India has issued a matching renewal this month.

Who it affects, and who it does not

The restriction follows the airline, not the passenger’s passport. Flights operated by Indian carriers such as Air India, IndiGo and Akasa Air cannot cross Pakistan, so their westbound services from north India have to fly around it. These include flights to Europe, the United Kingdom, North America, the Gulf and Central Asia. Foreign airlines are not covered by the notice, so an itinerary on a Gulf, European or other foreign carrier is not affected by this particular restriction.

None of this is new for travellers: Indian airlines have been flying around Pakistan since the restriction began in April 2025, almost 17 months ago. The practical meaning of the extension is continuity. Nothing about those routings changes before late October.

What travellers should do

If you are booked westbound on an Indian carrier before 24 October, there is nothing to change. Build the airline’s published block time into onward plans rather than an older memory of the flight. Leave a generous buffer for a separate-ticket connection in Europe or North America. The airspace question sits alongside the Gulf airline suspensions that are thinning one-stop options through Dubai and Abu Dhabi this winter, so compare total journey times rather than the number of stops.

The notice is renewed a month at a time, and it can be extended again, varied or lifted. The next date to watch is 24 October.

Sources

This report is based on the following published sources. Rules and schedules change — confirm with the issuing authority before you travel.

• Airspace Row: Pakistan Extends Restrictions On Indian Aircraft Till October 24 (PTI) — PTI, via The Free Press Journal, 16 September 2026
• Pakistan extends airspace closure for Indian aircraft until October 24 — The Nation (Pakistan), 17 September 2026