Pakistan’s Rahim Yar Khan airbase India struck during Op Sindoor still not operational, Notam extended

More than two months after India struck Pakistan’s Rahim Yar Khan airbase in Operation Sindoor, it continues to remain out of operations.

The Pakistan Aviation Authority (PAA) on Friday issued a Notam (notice to airmen) that the Rahim Yar Khan airbase will remain out of operations till August 5. This is the sixth Notam that Pakistan has issued since May 10 when India struck the airbase along with several other military sites.

As with previous Notams, the latest notice has also said that the runway is not available for operations due to work in progress — an apparent reference to reconstruction after Indian strikes.

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Pakistan’s Rahim Yar Khan airbase is a dual-purpose facility. While the Pakistani Air Force has stationed fighter planes and drones at the base and uses it as a forward bases for operations against India, civilian flights operates from a full-fledged civilian airport called Shaikh Zayed International Airport. Both the air force and civilian planes use the same runway.

During Operation Sindoor that India launched on the night of May 6-7, India struck several Pakistani military sites, including airbases, air defence units, and radar sites. India targeted military installations after Pakistan attacked India after India’s initial strikes on May 6-7 night on terrorist sites in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK). The battering over four days forced Pakistan to request a ceasefire on May 10 — a request that India granted.

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Satellite images in the aftermath of Indian strikes showed deep craters on the runway and extensive damage to buildings in the airbase.

Understanding Pakistan’s Notam for Rahim Yar Khan airbase

Without going into the specifics, the Notam has said in its technical language that the airport’s runway will remain out of operations till August 5. See the notification below.

The ‘OPRK’ is the code for the Rahim Yar Khan Airport and ‘QMRLC’ refers to Notam’s subject and status: ‘QMR’ meaning runway and ‘LC’ meaning it is closed.

The ‘2507170540’ refers to the start time of the Notam at July 17, 2025, at 05:40 am and ‘2508052359’ refers to the estimated end time of the Notam at August 5, 2025 at 11:59 pm.

The ‘RWY NOT AVBL FOR FLT OPS DUE WIP’ means that the runway is not available for flight operations due to work in progress.

Therefore, in plain language, the technical notice reads as: The Rahim Khan Yar Airport is not available for flight operations from 5:40 am on July 17, 2025, to 11:59 pm on August 5 because the runway is not available as work is in progress at the runway.