diff --git a/artemis-journal/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/io/aio/AIOSequentialFile.java b/artemis-journal/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/io/aio/AIOSequentialFile.java
index 8e355874be..688ae08eb0 100644
--- a/artemis-journal/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/io/aio/AIOSequentialFile.java
+++ b/artemis-journal/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/io/aio/AIOSequentialFile.java
@@ -134,7 +134,9 @@ public class AIOSequentialFile extends AbstractSequentialFile  {
    @Override
    public void waitNotPending() {
       try {
-         pendingCallbacks.await();
+         do {
+            pendingCallbacks.await();
+         } while(pendingClose);
       } catch (InterruptedException e) {
          // nothing to be done here, other than log it and forward it
          logger.warn(e.getMessage(), e);
@@ -184,6 +186,8 @@ public class AIOSequentialFile extends AbstractSequentialFile  {
 
    @Override
    public synchronized void open(final int maxIO, final boolean useExecutor) throws ActiveMQException {
+      // in case we are opening a file that was just closed, we need to wait previous executions to be done
+      waitNotPending();
       if (opened) {
          return;
       }
diff --git a/artemis-journal/src/test/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/io/aio/FileIOUtilTest.java b/artemis-journal/src/test/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/io/aio/FileIOUtilTest.java
index 981d119787..4bc4f2b66b 100644
--- a/artemis-journal/src/test/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/io/aio/FileIOUtilTest.java
+++ b/artemis-journal/src/test/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/io/aio/FileIOUtilTest.java
@@ -19,12 +19,16 @@ package org.apache.activemq.artemis.core.io.aio;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger;
 
 import org.apache.activemq.artemis.core.io.SequentialFile;
 import org.apache.activemq.artemis.core.io.SequentialFileFactory;
 import org.apache.activemq.artemis.core.io.nio.NIOSequentialFileFactory;
 import org.apache.activemq.artemis.core.io.util.FileIOUtil;
+import org.apache.activemq.artemis.nativo.jlibaio.LibaioContext;
+import org.apache.activemq.artemis.nativo.jlibaio.LibaioFile;
 import org.junit.Assert;
+import org.junit.Assume;
 import org.junit.Rule;
 import org.junit.Test;
 import org.junit.rules.TemporaryFolder;
@@ -40,6 +44,55 @@ public class FileIOUtilTest {
       temporaryFolder = new TemporaryFolder(parent);
    }
 
+   /** Since the introduction of asynchronous close on AsyncIO journal
+    there was a situation that if you open a file while it was pending to close
+    you could have many issues with file not open, NPEs
+    this is to capture and fix that race
+    */
+   @Test
+   public void testOpenClose() throws Exception {
+      Assume.assumeTrue(LibaioContext.isLoaded());
+      AtomicInteger errors = new AtomicInteger(0);
+
+      SequentialFileFactory factory = new AIOSequentialFileFactory(temporaryFolder.getRoot(), (Throwable error, String message, SequentialFile file) -> errors.incrementAndGet(),  4 * 1024);
+      factory.start();
+
+      SequentialFile file = factory.createSequentialFile("fileAIO.bin");
+      file.open(1024, true);
+
+      final int WRITES = 10;
+      final int RECORD_SIZE = 4 * 1024;
+      final int OPEN_TIMES = 250;
+
+
+      file.fill(WRITES * RECORD_SIZE);
+
+
+      try {
+
+         file.close(true, false);
+
+         for (int nclose = 0; nclose < OPEN_TIMES; nclose++) {
+            file.open(1024, true);
+            for (int i = 0; i < WRITES; i++) {
+               ByteBuffer buffer = factory.newBuffer(RECORD_SIZE);
+               for (int s = 0; s < RECORD_SIZE; s++) {
+                  buffer.put((byte) 'j');
+               }
+               file.position(i * RECORD_SIZE);
+               file.writeDirect(buffer, false);
+            }
+            file.close(true, false);
+         }
+      } finally {
+         file.waitNotPending();
+         factory.stop();
+      }
+
+      Assert.assertEquals(0, errors.get());
+
+   }
+
    @Test
    public void testCopy() throws Exception {
       SequentialFileFactory factory = new NIOSequentialFileFactory(temporaryFolder.getRoot(), 100);