KARACHI – Pakistan’s airspace closure has severely disrupted the flight operations of Indian airlines after Pahalgam attack in Occupied Kashmir.
The flights operated by Air India, SpiceJet, IndiGo and others are now experiencing delays of two to four hours due to extended flight times.
Air India has had to divert its flights from New Delhi and Mumbai to destinations such as New York, London, and Istanbul. Several flights have also been forced to land in countries like Austria for refueling.
Previously, Indian airlines entering US-bound routes from New Delhi would pass through Pakistani airspace via Lahore. Now, they must take a longer detour over the Arabian Sea, adding about four hours to the journey.
Last night, Air India and IndiGo had to divert roundtrip flights between New York and Delhi.
SpiceJet flights from Amritsar to Dubai, which previously passed through Lahore and Gwadar, now have to travel across a larger portion of Indian airspace before reaching Dubai.
To reach destinations like the US, UK and other European countries, the Indian pilots are being forced to fly significantly longer routes.
Due to increased travel time, Indian airlines are having to make additional landings in other countries for refueling before continuing to destinations like the US and UK. The flights that previously took 10 hours from Delhi to the US now would take up to 14 hours.
As a result, the Indian passengers are increasingly opting for Middle Eastern and other international carriers instead of Indian airlines.
The sources said that if Pakistan’s airspace remained closed for a month or longer, the Indian airlines could face the substantial financial losses.
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