The runway of Pakistan’s Rahim Yar Khan Airbase, which it shares with the dual-use Sheikh Zayed International Airport, is still closed well into mid-August, a strategic loss in the wake of targeted attacks during Operation Sindoor.
NOTAM Extension Timeline
Following Indian precision strikes on May 7–10, 2025, Pakistan first put out the NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) closing the runway until May 18 with “Work in Progress” status. There were repeated extensions: flight operations continued suspended through June 6, then July 4, and up to August 5, indicating mounting repair difficulties. Fresh reports authenticate an extension further to August 15, 2025, highlighting Pakistan’s failure to regain normal operations after months of endeavors
Satellite Imagery: What the Data Says
Post-strike satellite images show a huge crater around 19 ft deep and 43 ft wide on the runway, with debris and destruction surrounding it. Support structures and runway pavements can be seen damaged. OSINT experts such as Damien Symon have pointed towards the extent and severity of damage, observing that Pakistan has found it difficult to restore even within weeks.
Strategic Implications & Operational Disruption
Rahim Yar Khan’s operational paralysis constrains Pakistan’s southern Punjab air mobility and halts civilian air operations, given the dual military-commercial role of the base. The inability to restore compares unfavorably with swift revival at other installations such as Mushaf (Sargodha), which was back in business within hours. This contrast highlights India’s better logistics targeting and Pakistan’s infrastructural vulnerabilities. Indian authorities, including Prime Minister Modi, described the base as being in “ICU,” pointing to its critical incapacitation well after the strikes
Operation Sindoor & Wider Impact
Operation Sindoor, conducted by the IAF on May 7-10, 2025, struck several Pakistani assets, such as Rahim Yar Khan, Nur Khan (Rawalpindi), Mushaf (Sargodha), Bholari, Sukkur, and Jacobabad airbases with precision BrahMos-A cruise missiles and loitering munitions.
Experts estimate 20% of Pakistan Air Force support infrastructure has been destroyed, severely degrading command, control, and runway capability in attacked bases. Nur Khan Airbase is shown with more extensive structural collapse beyond initially estimated damage, indicating a wider scale of damage than officially confirmed.