Closing Pakistan's airspace to the Airlines on Thursday forces carriers to change some routes connecting India with Europe, North America, Central Asia and the Middle East.
Indian carriers – including Air India, Indigo, Akas Air and Spicejet – must now fly longer, and therefore more expensive, flights on some routes to the West. The detour can push some flights to add refueling or completely cancel some routes.
Indigo, the largest airline in the country, according to market participation, said that she expected that they would be affected by several international flights, while Air India said that some of his flights to North America, Europe and the Middle East will be Choose an alternative extended route. Both statements were made last week on the Social Media Platform X.
Air India did not answer the CNBC inquiry regarding the number of roads affected. Indigo stated that about 50 routes can be influenced, while flights to Almaty, Kazakhstan and Tashkent, Uzbekistan temporarily suspended.
The closing of the airspace appears among the Tit-For Dad reactions from armed with nuclear neighbors, after killing 26 tourists in the picturesque city of Pahalgam in the northwestern state of Jammu and Kashmir.
India associated the massacre with Pakistani fighters whom Pakistan denies. Pakistan required “neutral” probe For an incident that again aroused tensions over long -term territory demanded by both countries.
New routes and refueling stops
Air India Flight A1101 from New Delhi to New York on Saturday stopped in Copenhagen to refuel, according to the global flight tracking service flightradar24. According to LOT's website, which is usually non-stop, he arrived almost six hours after normal arrival.
According to Flightradar24, the same flight headed to Vienna, arriving about four hours behind the schedule.
Pakistan restrictions can also make it difficult for Indian carriers to compete with other air lines that can still fly over Pakistan.
Close Russia led some European airlines to reduce, and in some cases withdrawal of services to China, Because the cost of flying around Russia was much higher for European carriers than for Chinese carriers who were not subject to restrictions. However, Russia – and its airspace – is much larger than Pakistan.
According to Aviation Analytics, the Indian Airlines runs most international flights in the country, and over 9,000 international departures have been planned this month.
Of these, Air India is to fly 519 flights to Europe and 309 to North America, according to Cirium data.
However, the airline “can excessively organize Russia to reach North America” during some flights, said the representative of Cirium CNBC journey.
Many flights that connect the cities of North -India with the Middle East fly directly on Pakistan – a key region for Indian employees and recreational travelers.
According to a compendium of tourist data in India in 2024, half (49.3%) of travel from India was in the Middle East.
The United Arab Emirates are the most popular destination, attracting about 7.2 million India citizens – of which 50% are Indian migrant employees, 41% consists of recreational and recreational travelers, while the remaining 9% are business business travelers.IN According to India's tourist data.
Higher prices?
Indian carriers will pay the price, but passengers may not see that the airports will increase due to the closing of Pakistan airspace, said John Grant, the main analyst at the Aviation Intelligence Company OAG.
“This is symbolic more than anything that is mainly destructive to India's airlines,” he said. “These kinds of things are unlikely to lead to an increase in the number of airports.”
According to Pakistan's five -month closing of the aircraft to Indian carriers in 2019, it cost airlines about 7 billion Indian rupees ($ 82 million), according to local media.
However, airports on at least one route have already dropped. April is usually the most expensive month for a flight from New Delhi to Srinagar – the largest city in Jammu and Kashmir – with average prices from 175 to 255 USD, according to Google Flights.
Next week, flights to the city, where about 1.2 million people live, sell for USD 150, showed the website.
The Indian paramilitary service maintains observing in Pahalgama, south of Srinagar, on April 23, 2025, after an attack in which 26 people were killed in Kashmir administered by the Indians.
Mustafa infantry AFP Getty images
Air India and Indigo, in separate posts on the subject of X last week, stated that they would return or move Srinagar reservations by May 7, In mass references of travel reservations in the area.
Both airlines added flights to Srinagar to accommodate travelers who are in a hurry to leave the region after last week's massacre.
Muheet ul Islam, a journalist and filmmaker living in the region, tourism in Kashmir, known for its beautiful mountains and picturesque valleys, witnessed unprecedented development.
He said that as the industry and investment increased, people from other professions left a job to join the sector.
But now: “There is silence in the region with a PIN,” he said.
“I talked to several tourists who said they would not return to the Kashmir Valley – never.”