New Delhi:
International flights, especially from Delhi and other northern cities, will take a longer time to reach their destinations and fares are also likely to rise in the range of 8-12 per cent in the near term, with Pakistan closing its airspace for Indian airlines.
Air India and IndiGo on Thursday said some of its international flights have been impacted by the Pakistan airspace closure, with the Tata Group-owned airline mentioning that its flights connecting North America, UK, Europe and Middle East are likely to take an alternative extended route.
Apart from IndiGo and Air India, Air India Express and SpiceJet also have international operations.
All West-bound flights flying from north Indian cities, including Delhi, will be impacted due to the closure. These flights will have to take alternative routes that will be longer over the Arabian Sea, according to senior airline officials and pilots.
With longer routes, airlines will need more fuel to operate the flights resulting in higher costs as well as deal with payload issues.
Amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan due to Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan on Thursday said it will bar Indian airlines from using its airspace. The airspace cannot be used by India-registered aircraft as well as planes owned or leased by Indian operators.
In a post on X, 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.
IndiGo said that due to the sudden announcement of air space closure by Pakistan, a few of our international flights are being impacted.
“We understood the inconvenience this may cause and our teams are doing their best to help you reach your destination at the earliest,” the airline said in a post on X.
A senior pilot told PTI that 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.
The duration of the international flights will depend on routes that will be taken by the airlines and there are different route options. A clearer picture will emerge once airlines file their flight plans, a senior Air Traffic Controller told PTI.
According to the senior airline officials, Pakistan airspace is a crucial airspace in the region and is vastly used by the Indian airlines.
International flights from cities like Delhi, Amritsar, Jaipur, Lucknow and Varanasi will be directly impacted as they will now have to take a longer route, they added.
A senior travel industry executive told PTI that airfares for international flights operated by Indian airlines are likely to rise 8-12 per cent due to the airspace closure and if the situation continues for a longer period, then air ticket prices will go up further.
Longer routes & higher operational costs Aircraft taking longer routes mean they will be burning more fuel, resulting in increased operational costs for the airlines.
Since the flight time will be longer than it is now, airlines will be keeping more fuel. Such a situation will pose pay load issues for the airlines and they will be forced to reduce the overall weight of the aircraft.
For example, lower payload can be achieved by reducing the number of passengers and baggage. Lesser number of passengers in an aircraft means lower revenues, presenting financial challenges for the airlines.
Expensive air tickets Increased operational costs with payload restrictions is not a financially viable proposition for airlines, which already operate on wafer thin margins. As airlines will not be able to have higher load factors or more passengers in an aircraft operating international flights due to the external constraints, airfare are likely to sail northwards.
Earlier also, Pakistan had barred Indian airlines from using its airspace.
In February 2019, Indian Air Force conducted air strikes in Balakot, Pakistan after the Pulwama terror attack. Following the air strikes, Pakistan had closed its airspace for Indian airlines for a few months.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)