India imposes 23-day ban on Pakistani airlines from entering its airspace

India has closed its airspace to Pakistani airlines for 23 days after tensions escalated between the nuclear-armed neighbours following the deadly Pahalgam attack on April 22 in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

The Indian government took this step a week after Pakistan suspended Indian flights over its airspace, citing security concerns over potential terrorist threats.

The ban is in place for 23 days from April 30 to May 23, according to the notification issued by Indian authorities. 

Read: Indian airlines suffer daily losses in millions after Pakistan's airspace closure

Following this, the impact on Pakistan’s airlines would likely be smaller than on India, as Pakistani airlines use Indian airspace only to fly to Kuala Lumpur. 

An official in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) stated that Pakistan has already been avoiding using Indian airspace since the escalation of bilateral tensions between the neighbours.

The impact of the ban on Pakistan's airline industry is likely to be smaller than on India's since only PIA operates routes to Kuala Lumpur using Indian airspace.

Meanwhile, the Indian airlines are expected to face financial strain following the closure of Pakistani airspace, forcing them to take longer routes. This detour is estimated to cost Indian airlines approximately Rs20 million per day, adding to the economic burden on the country's aviation industry.      

Read: India should remember the Abhinandan episode before violating Pakistan's airspace: Khawaja Asif

Notably, Pakistani authorities have also placed all airports under high alert, ramping up security and surveillance protocols. 

The national flag carrier also cancelled all flights to and from Gilgit, Skardu and other northern areas due to security measures, stating, “all commercial flights scheduled to operate to and from Gilgit and Skardu on Wednesday have been cancelled for security reasons,” according to Daily Jang.