Indian carriers Air India and IndiGo are preparing for higher fuel expenses and longer flight times after Pakistan shut its airspace to Indian airlines, following heightened tensions over a deadly militant attack in Kashmir.
The closure comes after 26 men were killed on Tuesday in a meadow in the Pahalgam area of Indian Kashmir. India has blamed “Pakistani elements” for the attack, a claim Islamabad has strongly denied. In response to the escalating tensions, India has also suspended a critical river water-sharing treaty with Pakistan.
While international airlines remain unaffected, Indian carriers have been forced to reroute flights that typically pass through Pakistani airspace. Air India and IndiGo began redirecting flights late Thursday, affecting routes to New York, Dubai, and Azerbaijan, according to tracking data from Flightradar24.
New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, one of the world’s busiest, is expected to bear the brunt of the disruption. Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium Ascend shows that Air India, Air India Express, and IndiGo have approximately 1,200 international flights scheduled from New Delhi to Europe, the Middle East, and North America in April alone.
An Indian aviation executive said flights to the Middle East from New Delhi would now take about an hour longer, resulting in higher fuel consumption and reduced cargo capacity. Fuel and oil typically account for around 30 percent of an airline’s operating costs, making the impact significant.
IndiGo announced that around 50 of its international routes could be adjusted slightly, and it will cancel flights to Almaty from April 27 to at least May 7, and to Tashkent from April 28 to May 7.
Indian airlines are already grappling with delays in aircraft deliveries from Boeing and Airbus, complicating expansion plans. The new restrictions will also force airlines to recalculate flying hours and adjust crew schedules, pilots said.
Flight data showed that IndiGo’s Thursday flight 6E1803 from New Delhi to Baku took 5 hours and 43 minutes — significantly longer than the 5-hour, 5-minute journey on the previous day when it passed through Pakistan.
Pakistan has said the ban will remain in effect until May 23. In 2019, a similar closure lasting nearly five months cost Indian airlines at least $64 million.
