Latest news with #NOTAM
The Star
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
India extends airspace ban on Pakistani airlines, military aircraft
NEW DELHI: The Indian government has extended the NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) for Pakistani flights until Aug 23, officials said Wednesday (July 23). The information was shared by Murlidhar Mohol, India's federal junior minister for civil aviation, through a social media post. "Update on Airspace Restriction. The Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) restricting Pakistani aircraft from entering Indian airspace has been officially extended until 23rd August 2025," Mohol wrote on social media. According to the minister, the extension reflects continued strategic considerations and is in line with prevailing security protocols. New Delhi's action came days after Pakistan decided to extend the closure of its airspace for flights operated by Indian airlines by another month, until August 24. The previous NOTAM will expire on Thursday. Earlier on June 24, the ministry had announced a month-long extension of the NOTAM restricting Pakistani aircraft from coming into India. The first NOTAM by India was in force from May 1 to May 23. As per NOTAM issued by the federal ministry of civil aviation, no aircraft registered in Pakistan, and operated, owned or leased by Pakistani airlines or operators will be allowed to enter the Indian airspace. The airspace ban also applies to Pakistani military aircraft as per the NOTAM. NOTAMs on both sides were issued amid diplomatic tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad in April this year over the attack in which 26 people were killed by gunmen at Baisaran area of Pahalgam town, about 89 km east of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir. - Xinhua
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
India extends airspace closure for Pakistani planes till Aug 23; NOTAM issued
India has extended the closure of its airspace for Pakistan planes by another month till August 24. Initially, the ban was to end on May 24 and the same was extended first till June 24 and then till July 24.(Pexels/Representative) In the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people on April 22, India closed its airspace for planes operated, owned or leased by Pakistan airlines and operators, including military flights, with effect from April 30. The ban is part of various measures taken by the government against Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack. "The Notice to Airmen (NOT AM) restricting Pakistani aircraft from entering Indian airspace has been officially extended till 23rd August 2025," Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said. This extension reflects continued strategic considerations and is in line with prevailing security protocols, the minister said in a post on X late on Tuesday. Initially, the ban was to end on May 24 and the same was extended first till June 24 and then till July 24. The fresh NOTAM is applicable till 2359 hours (UTC) on August 23, which means till 0530 hours (IST) on August 24. Meanwhile, Pakistan has also extended by one month the closure of its airspace for Indian aircraft till August 24. On April 24, Pakistan banned its airspace for India until May 24, after the Indian government suspended the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan. The airspace curb was extended till June 24, then till July 24 and again by another month.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
India extends airspace closure for Pakistan planes till August 24
India has extended the closure of its airspace for Pakistan planes by another month till August 24. In the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people on April 22, India closed its airspace for planes operated, owned or leased by Pakistan airlines and operators, including military flights, with effect from April 30. The ban is part of various measures taken by the government against Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack. 'The Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) restricting Pakistani aircraft from entering Indian airspace has been officially extended till 23rd August 2025,' Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said. This extension reflects continued strategic considerations and is in line with prevailing security protocols, the Minister said in a post on X late on Tuesday (July 22, 2025). Initially, the ban was to end on May 24 and the same was extended first till June 24 and then till July 24. The fresh NOTAM is applicable till 11:59 p.m. (UTC) on August 23, which means till 5:30 a.m. (IST) on August 24. Meanwhile, Pakistan has also extended by one month the closure of its airspace for Indian aircraft till August 24, 2025. On April 24, Pakistan banned its airspace for India until May 24, after the Indian government suspended the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan. The airspace curb was extended till June 24, then till July 24 and again by another month.
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Business Standard
6 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Govt extends closure of airspace to Pakistani aircrafts till August 23
The Centre has officially extended Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) restricting Pakistani civil aircrafts from entering Indian airspace until August 23, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol confirmed. "This extension reflects continued strategic considerations and is in line with prevailing security protocols. Stay tuned for further updates," Union MoS Mohol said in a post on X. The previous NOTAM was going to expire on July 24 (Thursday). Earlier on June 24, the ministry had announced a month long extension of the NOTAM restricting Pakistani aircrafts coming into India. The first NOTAM by India was valid from May 1 to May 23. As per the NOTAM, Indian airspace will not be available for Pakistan-registered aircraft and aircraft operated, owned or leased by Pakistan airlines and operators, including military flights. The restrictions on Pakistani aircrafts were first put during Operation Sindoor, due to increased hostilities between the neighbouring nations in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack which killed 26 people, including one foreign national on April 22 The Indian airspace has been closed for planes operated, owned or leased by Pakistan airlines and operators, including military flights, since April 30. On April 23, a day after the Pahalgam attack, which claimed 26 lives, India announced a series of measures against Pakistan, including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, shutting down of the only operational land border crossing at Attari and downgrading of diplomatic ties in view of cross-border links to the massacre. India also launched the decisive Operation Sindoor, which targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan with precision strikes. The government is set to hold a 16-hour discussion on Operation Sindoor next week, during the monsoon Parliament Session, according to sources. The discussion will be finalised after a consensus is reached. Opposition parties have been demanding presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the debate on Operation Sindoor. As per sources, since PM Modi will be embarking on a two-nation tour of the United Kingdom and the Maldives from July 23 to July 26, the discussion on Operation Sindoor is likely to take place next week. Multiple Opposition MPs have also submitted adjournment motions to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent Operation Sindoor.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
In tit-for-tat move, India extends airspace closure for Pakistani airlines till August 24
Following Pakistan's decision to extend the closure of its airspace for Indian aircraft and airlines by a month — till the morning of August 24 — India has also announced the extension of its ban on Pakistani airlines and aircraft from entering Indian airspace for the same period, according to a fresh notice to airmen (NOTAM) issued by India's aviation authorities. Pakistan had issued its NOTAM on July 18, a few days before the July 24 expiration of the earlier closure notice. After this extension by Pakistan, India was also likely to extend the closure of its airspace for Pakistani airlines and aircraft beyond July 24, when the earlier Indian NOTAM was also set to expire. Following the Pahalgam terror attack in April, as diplomatic relations between Delhi and Islamabad deteriorated, Pakistan on April 24 shut its airspace to Indian aircraft and Indian airlines for at least a month, banning them from overflying its airspace. On April 30, India, too, closed its airspace to Pakistani aircraft and airlines. Since then, both countries have been extending their airspace closures by issuing NOTAMs on a monthly basis. The two countries have only banned each other's airlines and aircraft from their respective airspaces, but they remain open for overflying for airlines and aircraft from other countries. The new NOTAM issued by India is similar to the previous notices, except for the effective duration of airspace closure. India will keep its airspace closed to Pakistani airlines and aircraft, including military flights, till 5:29 India time on August 24. The latest NOTAM from Pakistan on airspace closure has the same expiration date and time. With the Pakistani airspace not available to them, around 800 flights a week of Indian airlines are being impacted by longer durations, increased fuel burn, and a few other complexities related to crew and flight scheduling, all of which are increasing operational costs for the carriers. Indian airlines' flights from North India to West Asia, the Caucasus, Europe, the UK, and North America's eastern region switched from their routine paths to longer routes, adding anywhere between 15 minutes to a few hours to the journey, depending on the distance and the location of the destination. For Pakistan, however, the impact of India's airspace closure has been rather insignificant because, unlike India's booming aviation sector, Pakistan's struggling flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), has a limited international footprint, and that too largely to the west of the country. According to airline schedule data from Cirium, PIA operates just six flights a week — to and from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, from Lahore and Islamabad—that were routinely flying over India. All major Indian airlines operate international flights to destinations to the west of the country, and many of these flights were routinely overflying Pakistan. Air India operates flights to West Asia, Europe, the UK, and North America. IndiGo operated flights to West Asia, Turkey, the Caucasus, and Central Asia, but had to suspend flights to the Central Asian cities of Almaty and Tashkent from Delhi as they were now outside the operational range of its existing fleet of narrow-body aircraft. Air India Express, Akasa Air, and SpiceJet's west-bound international flights are to destinations in West Asia. According to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, currently there are almost 400 weekly westward international departures from North Indian airports — Delhi, Amritsar, Jaipur, and Lucknow — that were routinely flying over Pakistan. Given that all these flights have return legs, the total number of affected flights goes up to around 800 from these airports. Of these, around 640 flights are from or to India's largest airport — Delhi's Indira Gandhi International airport — which is likely to be the most affected due to the move by Pakistan. Additionally, a handful of ultra-long-haul flights from other Indian cities like Mumbai are also getting impacted as their flight paths used to go through the Pakistani airspace. When Pakistan closed its airspace for over four months in 2019, Indian airlines are estimated to have lost around Rs 700 crore due to higher fuel expenses and operational complications that came with longer routes many of their flights were forced to take. Air India was the worst affected Indian carrier at the time, as it operated more west-bound international flights than other airlines. Moreover, it was and continues to be the only Indian airline that operates ultra-long-haul flights to North America. Air India, now a Tata group entity, is understood to have informed the government that the Pakistani airspace closure is estimated to cost the airline around $600 million on an annualised basis. Over the past few years, other Indian airlines —particularly IndiGo — have also expanded their international networks to include various destinations that can be served by their existing fleets that mainly comprises narrow-body jets. IndiGo is the only Indian airline that was flying to destinations in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Turkey. Sukalp Sharma is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and writes on a host of subjects and sectors, notably energy and aviation. He has over 13 years of experience in journalism with a body of work spanning areas like politics, development, equity markets, corporates, trade, and economic policy. He considers himself an above-average photographer, which goes well with his love for travel. ... Read More
