India has reserved a section of its airspace near the southern border with Pakistan for a one-day Indian Air Force (IAF) exercise scheduled for Wednesday, 4 June 2025, according to sources. A Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) has been issued for the drill, which will be conducted in the region adjacent to Pakistan’s southern boundary.
In May, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu confirmed that India had extended restrictions on the use of its airspace by Pakistani aircraft and airlines until 23 June. Speaking to reporters, Naidu said, “The NOTAM has been extended. We have maintained the status quo…”
The restriction—enforced amid escalating security concerns and recent airspace-related incidents involving Pakistan—prohibits access to Indian airspace for aircraft registered in Pakistan, as well as aircraft operated, owned, or leased by Pakistani airlines or operators, including military flights.
The NOTAM extension follows an incident on 21 May, when an IndiGo flight (6E 2142) travelling from Delhi to Srinagar encountered a hailstorm and severe turbulence near Pathankot. The aircraft, an A321 Neo registered as VT-IMD, was cruising at FL360 when it requested to deviate left toward the International Border due to adverse weather.
However, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated that the Indian Air Force’s Northern control did not grant the deviation. The crew then contacted Lahore Air Traffic Control (ATC) to seek entry into Pakistani airspace to bypass the turbulence, but that request was also denied. “Later, the crew contacted Lahore to enter their airspace to avoid the weather, but the same was refused too,” the DGCA noted.
Turkish Ground Handling Firm Banned Over Security Concerns
In a separate development, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu also addressed the revocation of security clearance for Turkish company Celebi Airport Services. He emphasised that despite the removal, airport operations remained unaffected.
“For the time being, on grounds of national security, we’ve removed the Turkish players from ground handling services, cargo services… we are not seeing any problem in the operations. We are going to take guidance from the security agencies in this regard,” Naidu said.
Celebi had been responsible for nearly 70 per cent of ground services at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, including passenger handling, load control, cargo management, postal services, warehouse operations, and aerobridge functions. The firm was also active at several other airports across India.
