Pakistan Closes Airspace to Indian Airlines: Flights Rerouted, New Longer Routes, Travel Time & Fare Hikes

Pakistan's decision to close its airspace to Indian airlines has led to significant disruption in several international flight routes. The move, announced on Thursday, comes amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan following the recent terror attack in Pahalgam. The airspace ban affects aircraft registered in India as well as those owned or leased by Indian operators.

The closure is impacting routes connecting India to Europe, North America, Central Asia, and the Middle East. Indian carriers including Air India, IndiGo, Akasa Air and SpiceJet which have been forced to reroute some of their westbound flights, resulting in longer flight durations and, in some cases, operational limitations.

Due to the extended flying times, certain narrow-body aircraft used by airlines may not be able to complete long-distance flights without a refueling stop. This has already led to some route suspensions and potential cancellations.

IndiGo, India's largest airline by market share, stated on Friday (April 26) that it will temporarily cancel flights to Almaty, Kazakhstan, and Tashkent, Uzbekistan, due to aircraft range limitations. These destinations lie beyond the operational range of IndiGo's Airbus narrow-body aircraft when Pakistan's airspace is unavailable. Flights to Almaty are cancelled from April 27 to May 7, while services to Tashkent stand cancelled from April 28 to May 7.

The airline added that approximately 50 international routes could be affected, with extended flying sectors leading to minor schedule changes. "With the same restrictions and limited rerouting options, unfortunately, Almaty and Tashkent are outside the operational range of IndiGo's current fleet," the airline said in a statement. IndiGo has expressed regret for the inconvenience and assured that all options are being considered to minimise disruption.

Air India has also stated that some of its flights to and from North America, Europe, and the Middle East are being re-routed. On Saturday, Air India flight A1101 from New Delhi to New York made a refueling stop in Copenhagen, arriving nearly six hours late, according to flight tracking platform FlightRadar24. A day earlier, the same flight had diverted to Vienna, arriving around four hours behind schedule.

Despite the disruption, experts believe that passengers are unlikely to see a significant rise in ticket prices. Speaking to CNBC, John Grant, chief analyst at aviation data firm OAG, said the situation is "symbolic more than anything majorly disruptive for India's airlines" and added that such disruptions on their own generally do not cause airfare hikes.

In 2019, a similar airspace closure by Pakistan that lasted five months reportedly cost Indian airlines approximately Rs 700 crore (USD 82 million), according to local media reports.