With Pakistan closing off its airspace to Indian carriers on Thursday, airlines now face longer durations and higher fuel burn for westward international flights taking off from north India — factors that could lead to a hike in airfares.
The Indian Express’s review of recent flight paths of numerous international flights departing from the Delhi airport suggests Pakistan’s retaliatory action will affect Indian carriers’ flights to Central Asia, the Caucasus, West Asia, Europe, the UK and North America.
According to industry insiders, while it is still too early to assess the impact, the airlines’ costs are bound to rise and could translate into higher airfares. Additionally, as airlines from other countries can continue to overfly Pakistan, they may get a cost advantage over Indian airlines on the affected routes.
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The last time Pakistan closed its airspace for an extended period — in 2019, following the Balakot airstrikes — Indian airlines lost around `700 crore owing to higher fuel expenses and operational complications that came with the longer routes.
Air India was the worst-affected Indian carrier at the time, as it operated more west-bound international flights than other airlines. It was and continues to be the only Indian airline that operates long-haul and ultra-long-haul flights to Europe and North America.
“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 Tata group airline posted on X.
IMPORTANT UPDATE:
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…
— Air India (@airindia) April 24, 2025
In its initial reaction, India’s largest airline, IndiGo, issued a travel advisory to passengers. Over the past two years, IndiGo has rapidly expanded its international network by launching flights to Central Asia and the Caucasus region bordering Europe — with several places in these regions turning into popular tourist destinations for Indians.
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“Due to the sudden announcement of air space closure by Pakistan, a few of our international flights are being impacted. We understand the inconvenience this may cause and our teams are doing their best to help you reach your destination at the earliest. We encourage you to check the latest flight status. If your flight is impacted, please explore flexible rebooking options, or claim a refund through our website,” IndiGo said.
IndiGo extended the duration of its Thursday evening flights from Delhi to Baku and Tbilisi by around one-and-a-half hours, and cancelled its Delhi-Almaty flight.
Indian carriers have so far not commented on the likely financial impact of Pakistan’s move. According to sources, the airlines are in the process of assessing the initial impact and are currently focused on realignment of the routes that will be hit. Airlines from airports in north India, including Delhi, Lucknow and Amritsar, will now likely have to take a detour to Gujarat or Maharashtra and then turn right for Europe, North America or West Asia.
A clearer picture of the impact — financial as well as operational — will likely emerge over the next few days.
All major Indian airlines operate international flights to destinations to the west of the country, and many of these flights routinely overfly Pakistan.
Air India operates flights to West Asia, Europe, the UK and North America, while IndiGo operates flights to West Asia, Turkey, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Air India Express, Akasa Air and SpiceJet’s west-bound international flights are to destinations in West Asia.
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Following the Indian Air Force’s airstrikes in Balakot, Pakistan had fully closed its airspace on February 26, 2019. It eventually fully opened its airspace for overflying in July 2019. By June, Indian airlines’ collective loss due to the airspace closure was pegged at more than `550 crore, according to data furnished by the Ministry of Civil Aviation at the time. The figure, according to industry insiders, was around `700 crore till mid-July of that year, when Pakistan completely removed the restrictions.
In 2019, due to Pakistan’s closure of routes, most flights saw their durations rise by at least 70-80 minutes. Air India’s flights from Delhi to Chicago had to stop in Europe for refuelling. Further, IndiGo’s flight from Delhi to Istanbul, which was then being operated by narrow-body aircraft, had to make a refuelling stop at Doha.
