India Closes Airspace For Pakistani Flights Days After Pahalgam Terror Attack

Last Updated:April 30, 2025, 23:57 IST

India has announced a series of measures against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty in the wake of Pahalgam terror attack

Pakistan has intensified monitoring of its airspace amid heightened security concerns over tensions with India. (Representative image / AP)

India has closed its airspace for all flights operated by Pakistan-based airlines days after the Pahalgam terror attack. A similar decision was taken by Pakistan to shut its airspace for Indian flights last week.

As per the NOTAM, Indian airspace is not available for Pakistan-registered aircraft and any aircraft operated, owned, or leased by Pakistani airlines or operators-including military flights. Restrictions will remain in place till May 23.

However, foreign airlines flying from Pakistan (like Emirates, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, etc.) can continue to use Indian airspace as usual.

Flights of Pakistan Airlines, the national carrier, are being rerouted via China for destinations like Kuala Lumpur, leading to added time and costs.

More than 600 Indian flights bound for the west were affected by Pakistan’s decision in the last one week and around 120 flights were forced to make extra stop to refuel when flying to Europe, North America and other destinations that involve overflying Pakistan, data shared by online travel agents and flight tracking platforms with Moneycontrol showed.

Closing its airspace was among several measures taken by India against Pakistan, which orchestrated the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, killing 26 people.

Indian airlines are expected to incur additional weekly expenses of Rs 77 crore for international flights originating from north Indian cities due to airspace restrictions leading to increased fuel consumption and longer flight durations.

An analysis by PTI, considering the number of overseas flights and approximate expenses based on increased flight time, indicates that the additional monthly operational costs could exceed Rs 306 crore.

According to Cirium data analysis, over 800 weekly flights are operated by Indian airlines from north Indian cities to international destinations, including North America, the UK, Europe, and the Middle East.

There are slightly over 3,100 flights in both directions per month, with nearly 800 flights weekly. Of the total monthly flights, around 1,900 are operated with narrow-body planes and some wide-body aircraft to the Middle East. With an additional cost of Rs 5 lakh per flight for the extra 45 minutes, the overall expenses will be approximately Rs 90 crore.

For Europe and North America, the total number of two-way flights is nearly 1,200. Based on the additional flying time of 1.5 hours, costing about Rs 29 lakh for North American services and Rs 22 lakh for European flights, the total amount will be around Rs 306 crore per month.

The analysis shows that the total additional monthly expenses will be about Rs 307 crore, with Rs 77 crore on a weekly basis. These figures are rough estimates.

In addition to higher fuel consumption, longer flying hours also create challenges related to payload, aircraft availability, and crew duty time limitations for airlines.

News india India Closes Airspace For Pakistani Flights Days After Pahalgam Terror Attack