India-Pakistan tensions, sparked by the 2025 Pahalgam attack, trigger airspace closures via NOTAMs, disrupting civilian flights. Rerouting increases flight times and fuel costs, with India facing ₹7,000 crore losses. Pakistan’s strategic airspace position amplifies its losses. ICAO rules limit closures, but tensions escalate economic and operational challenges for aviation.
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Picture Courtesy: The Hindu
Military standoffs impact airspace use and civilian aviation between India and Pakistan.
Military standoffs, like the recent India-Pakistan tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, 2025, disrupt the aviation sector.
When countries engage in conflicts, they usually close their airspace to each other’s aircraft, affecting both civilian and military flights, which creates challenges for airlines, passengers, and air traffic management.
Countries close their airspace for security reasons during military tensions or conflicts. For example, after the Pahalgam terror attack, where 26 civilians lost their lives, India took strong measures, including suspending the Indus Waters Treaty.
Pakistan responded by issuing a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) on April 24, 2025, banning Indian aircraft from its airspace until May 23, 2025. This closure affected multiple air traffic routes in northern and southern Pakistan and parts of the Arabian Sea. India retaliated with its own NOTAM on April 30, 2025, barring Pakistani aircraft from its airspace until May 23, 2025.
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International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) rules allow countries to restrict airspace for security but limit such closures to one month at a time. |
After India’s Operation Sindoor (May 7–10, 2025), a military strike targeting nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, both nations extended their airspace bans. Pakistan issued a new NOTAM, closing its airspace to Indian aircraft until June 24, 2025, while India banned Pakistani aircraft until June 23, 2025.
Civilian flights must find alternative routes, which often increase flight times and fuel costs. In 2025, India closed 32 airports in northern and western regions, including Jammu, Srinagar, and Amritsar, from May 9 to May 15, 2025, to keep civilian aircraft away from conflict zones. This led to over 400 flight cancellations daily.
International flights, especially to the Gulf, Europe, and the U.S., faced delays as airlines avoided Pakistani airspace, rerouting through longer paths like the Muscat Flight Information Region (FIR). This shift increased flight times by up to 30 minutes and raised fuel costs, with airfares potentially rising by 8–12%.
In 2025, India’s aviation sector, including cargo, faced estimated losses of ₹7,000 crore due to rerouting, cancellations, and reduced tourism in Kashmir after the Pahalgam attack. In 2019, Pakistan lost $232,000 daily in overflight charges and $300,000 when including landing and navigation fees. Pakistan’s losses are often higher because its airspace is a key corridor for Asia-Europe flights, unlike India’s, which benefits from a larger domestic market.
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PRACTICE QUESTION Q. What was the primary effect of the NOTAMs issued by Pakistan and India? A) Pausing Water sharing between the two countries B) Redirecting international trade through specified corridors C) Closing airspace to the other country's aircraft D) Increasing diplomatic mission to gain global Support Answer: C Explanation: NOTAMs (Notice to Airmen) are official alerts issued to pilots about temporary changes or hazards in flight operations, which can include airspace closures. In May 2025, amid rising tensions, both Pakistan and India issued NOTAMs that resulted in closing their respective airspace to aircraft from the other country. This action led to the redirection of flights and significant disruptions to air travel and cargo operations. |
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