Pakistan has once again decided to keep its airspace closed for Indian aircraft. Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) has issued a new notice and extended this ban till March 23, 2026. This will have a direct impact on the pockets of air travelers, because now flights will have to travel a longer distance, due to which both fuel expenses and travel time will increase.
ℹ: Air India Express Muscat-Delhi Flight Update: Technical glitch in the flight coming from Muscat to Delhi, 130 passengers remained troubled at the airport throughout the night.
How long will this ban remain in force?
According to the information released by the officials, this new order will remain effective till March 23, 2026. This ban was first imposed in April 2025 and since then it is being continuously extended. This rule applies to all Indian registered civil, private and military aircraft.
Recently, after the incident involving a Pakistan Air Force aircraft on 14 February 2026, the atmosphere between the two countries became a bit tense. It is now expected that Indian aviation authorities may also extend a similar ban on Pakistani aircraft. However, this will not affect foreign airlines and they will be able to fly over both the countries.
What will be the impact on common passengers and airlines?
Airlines companies and common passengers are facing the biggest loss due to this decision. Due to change in route, the expenses of companies like Air India and Indigo have increased significantly.
Expensive tickets: Air ticket prices are likely to increase by 35% to 40% due to increase in fuel and operational expenses. More time: The time of flights going from North India to the West or Gulf countries has increased from 15 minutes to 3 hours. Increased expenses: Fuel expenses of airlines have increased by 29%, causing a loss of about Rs 7,000 crore annually. Change in route: Planes now have to travel over the Arabian Sea or via China.
Air India is finding it difficult to run some non-stop flights to America and Europe, while some direct flights like Delhi to Washington have been stopped for the time being.
