Govt explores alternative air routes amid ban on Pakistan airspace

The government is exploring alternative air routes as Pakistan continues to ban its airspace for Indian airlines.

According to sources, the government is in talks with China and Hotan in the autonomous region of Xinjiang in the northwestern part of the country, to secure alternative airspace. The talks have been underway for around a year, the sources said.

Pakistan, two weeks ago, extended its restrictions on Indian aircraft by another month amid continuing tensions with New Delhi following the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack.

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The ban affects Indian-registered aircraft and those operated or leased by Indian airlines, including military flights. The closure covers both the Karachi and Lahore flight information regions (FIRs), as stated in a 2022 document from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority.

Pakistan and India imposed reciprocal airspace restrictions on each other's airlines after the Pahalgam terrorist attack in April 2025, which killed 26 people. Since then, the ban has been extended monthly. This has caused financial difficulties for airlines and longer travel times for passengers. India continues to maintain a similar ban on all Pakistani-registered aircraft, airlines, and military flights as part of the measures following the attack.

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Meanwhile, China Southern Airlines also announced the resumption of regular passenger flights on the Guangzhou-New Delhi route from September 21 after a six-year hiatus. This came amid Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to New Delhi for the BRICS Summit.