India extends airspace closure for Pakistani airlines until June 23 in a tit-for-tat move

India on Friday extended the NOTAM for Pakistan flights until June 23. Indian airspace will not be available for aircraft registered in Pakistan and aircraft operated, owned or leased by Pakistani airlines or operators, including military flights, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement.

On April 30. India shut its airspace for Pakistan airline as part of retaliatory measures in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 that killed at least 26 people. On April 24, Pakistan closed its airspace for Indian carriers.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan had also announced the extension of airspace closure for all Indian operators, including, military flights till June 24.



The ban was imposed for a month until May 23, as under International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) rules that airspace restrictions cannot be imposed for more than one month at a time.

On Wednesday, an IndiGo pilot operating the Delhi-Srinagar flight, which encountered a sudden hailstorm, initially sought Lahore Air Traffic Control's permission to briefly use the Pakistan airspace to avoid the turbulence, but the request was rejected.


When the aircraft was overflying Amritsar, the pilot noticed turbulence and sought Lahore Air Traffic Control's (ATC) permission to take a deviation through the Pakistan airspace on Wednesday. The request was made in order to avoid the turbulence, but it was rejected by the Lahore ATC.

As a result, the aircraft operated on the original flight path, where it encountered severe turbulence.

The flight, carrying more than 220 people, including Trinamool Congress MPs encountered a sudden hailstorm, and the pilot reported the "emergency" to air traffic control at Srinagar airport. The flight had landed safely on Wednesday.