Pakistan Airspace Closure Impacts Indian carriers
Pakistan's decision on Thursday, April 24th, 2025, to close its airspace to Indian carriers has created immediate operational challenges for airlines operating flights to destinations west of India. This retaliatory measure forces rerouting, leading to increased flight durations and fuel consumption, raising concerns about potential fare increases and echoing the significant financial strain experienced during a similar closure in 2019. Let's look into the operational implications, initial airline responses, and the historical context of this development.
Impact on Flights and Costs
The closure directly impacts numerous international flights operated by major Indian carriers – including Air India, IndiGo, Air India Express, Akasa Air, and SpiceJet – destined for Central Asia, the Caucasus, West Asia, Europe, the UK, and North America. These routes routinely involved overflying Pakistani airspace.
Airlines departing from northern Indian airports like Delhi, Lucknow, and Amritsar must now implement significant detours. The likely alternative involves flying south towards Gujarat or Maharashtra before turning west, substantially increasing flight times and fuel burn. Industry sources anticipate that flight durations could increase by at least 70-80 minutes, similar to the 2019 scenario.
While airlines have not yet quantified the financial impact, industry insiders suggest costs are inevitably set to rise. This increase could potentially be passed on to passengers through higher airfares. Furthermore, a competitive disadvantage arises as airlines from other countries retain access to Pakistani airspace, allowing them potentially shorter and more cost-effective routes compared to their Indian counterparts on affected sectors.
Indian carriers are currently focused on managing the immediate operational fallout. Air India, the only Indian airline operating long-haul flights to Europe and North America and thus significantly affected, acknowledged that some flights would take "alternative extended routes" and expressed regret for the inconvenience caused by circumstances "outside our control," emphasizing passenger safety.
IndiGo, which has rapidly expanded its network into Central Asia and the Caucasus, issued travel advisories, confirming impacts on some international services. The airline highlighted flexible rebooking options and refund processes for affected passengers. On Thursday evening, IndiGo extended the duration of its Delhi-Baku and Delhi-Tbilisi flights by approximately 90 minutes and cancelled its Delhi-Almaty service. Airlines are actively realigning flight paths, with a clearer picture of the full operational and financial consequences expected to emerge in the coming days.
2019 Closure
This situation mirrors the extended airspace closure implemented by Pakistan following the Indian Air Force's Balakot airstrikes in February 2019. That closure lasted until July 2019. According to Ministry of Civil Aviation data from that period and subsequent industry estimates, Indian airlines collectively incurred losses of around ₹700 crore due to the extended flight paths, higher fuel costs, and associated operational complexities. Air India was the most severely impacted carrier then due to its extensive west-bound network. The 2019 closure necessitated operational adjustments like mandatory refuelling stops in Europe or the Middle East for certain long-haul flights originating from Delhi.
Pakistan shutting its airspace to Indian planes immediately caused big problems, forcing costly detours and longer travel times for many international flights. While the full impact is still being assessed, passengers may face higher fares, and Indian carriers could experience a competitive disadvantage on key international routes until the restrictions are lifted.
