With the immediate closure of Pakistan’s airspace for India, domestic airlines will need to take a longer route, resulting in higher fuel burn and possibly increased airfares, industry experts said on Thursday.
Pakistan’s move will affect flights to Central Asia, West Asia, Europe, the UK and North America. Industry experts said this will result in high costs for airlines.
In 2019 when Pakistan closed its airspace after the Balakot airstrikes, Indian airlines lost nearly Rs 700 crore owing to higher fuel expenses, according to industry figures.
As per industry sources, airlines are assessing the initial impact of Pakistan’s decision. According to the airline officials, Pakistan airspace is a key airspace in the region and is majorly used by the Indian airlines.
Airlines from airports in north India, including Delhi, Lucknow and Amritsar, will now likely have to take a detour to Gujarat or Maharashtra and then turn right for Europe, North America or West Asia.
With this, the duration of some of the US and European flights operated by Indian airlines will increase in the range of 2 to 2.5 hours.
Although, airlines are yet to comment on the financial impact. These flights will have to take alternative routes that will be longer over the Arabian Sea.
Air India and IndiGo have announced that their international flights will take an alternative extended route, after Pakistan closed its airspace for India amid rising diplomatic tensions after the barbaric Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
Air India said that due to the announced restriction of Pakistan airspace for all Indian airlines, it is expected that some Air India flights to or from North America, UK, Europe, and Middle East will take an alternative extended route.
“Air India regrets the inconvenience caused to our passengers due to this unforeseen airspace closure that is outside our control. We would like to reiterate that at Air India, the safety of our customers and crew remains top priority,” the airline said in a post on social media platform X.
Meanwhile, IndiGo also said in a post on X that due to the sudden announcement of airspace closure by Pakistan, “a few of our international flights are being impacted”.
“We understand the inconvenience this may cause, and our teams are doing their best to help you reach your destination at the earliest. We encourage you to check the latest flight status. If your flight is impacted, please explore flexible rebooking options, or claim a refund through our website,” said the low-cost carrier in its update on social media.
