India extends airspace ban on Pakistani aircraft until August 23, 2025. The Pakistani aircraft ban affects all types of planes, including passenger and military aircraft.
Flights from Pakistan cannot fly through Indian skies for about two more years, making travel between these neighboring countries much harder.
Murlidhar Mohol, India’s Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation, announced the news on Tuesday, July 22.
Photo by Abdullah719 from pixabay
India-Pakistan Flight Restrictions Impact on Travelers
Those planning to travel between India and Pakistan should expect major changes as airlines will take longer routes to avoid the banned airspace.
Here’s what this means for travelers:
- Flights will take longer
- Tickets may cost more
- Some flights might get delayed
- Some flights might get canceled
Pakistan complicated the situation by imposing its own ban on July 19. Pakistani officials announced that Indian planes cannot use Pakistani airspace either, and the ban will last until August 24, 2025.
Airspace Closure’s Impact on Airlines and Travelers
These India-Pakistan flight restrictions are not new and date from a policy implemented in August 2019, when tensions between the two countries worsened. Since then, the ban has been extended several times for security reasons related to ongoing political problems between India and Pakistan.
Airlines are scrambling to find new flight paths around both countries’ airspace. Airlines face higher costs because their planes must fly longer distances and use more fuel. They might pass these extra costs onto passengers through higher ticket prices.
International flights that used to pass through this area, especially from Middle Eastern cities like Dubai to Southeast Asian countries, now have to find different routes.
Photo by Leonid Andronov from Canva
Looking Forward
The restrictions from both countries end around the same time in late August 2025. However, given the history of these bans being extended multiple times, travelers shouldn’t count on them ending automatically.
For now, the aviation industry is adapting to these challenges while hoping that India and Pakistan will eventually work out their differences. Until then, flying in this part of the world will continue to be more complicated and expensive than it needs to be.
This airspace closure reminds us how political disagreements between countries affect everyday travelers from all over the world who want to fly through the region.
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*Banner photo by dam_point from Getty Images
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