Indian civil aviation authorities have closed the country’s airspace to Pakistani-registered aircraft, in a further deterioration of relations between the neighbouring states.
The measure appears to be a retaliatory ban after Pakistan implemented a similar restriction on Indian aircraft on 25 April.
Tensions between India and Pakistan have risen after an attack on tourists in Pahalgam, in the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir region.
In a NOTAM effective 30 April, Indian authorities list the ban as applying to the four flight information regions – Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata – which cover the entire country.
Indian airspace is “not available” to Pakistani-registered aircraft, nor aircraft owned or leased by Pakistani operators, the NOTAM says. This includes military flights.
Like the counter-ban from Pakistan, the Indian restriction covers all altitudes.
While Pakistani airspace mostly bounds the country’s land border, India’s extends over broad areas of water, with the Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata FIRs covering large parts of the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal.
