NEW DELHI: Indian airlines are staring at additional weekly operational expenses of approximately Rs 77 crore due to closure of Pakistan airspace, amid escalating tensions in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.The closure is forcing airlines to take longer alternative routes, increasing fuel costs and flight durations significantly.
Based on the number of international flights from northern India and the extended flight time, news agency PTI reported that the monthly impact on operational costs could cross Rs 307 crore.
According to a senior airline executive quoted by PTI, international flights to North America now require up to 1.5 hours of additional flying time, which can increase costs by Rs 29 lakh per flight, including fuel, landing, and parking charges due to unscheduled technical halts.
For European routes, the extra flying time is also around 1.5 hours, with an added cost of roughly Rs 22.5 lakh per flight, while Middle East-bound flights are facing delays of up to 45 minutes, adding about Rs 5 lakh in extra operational expense per flight.
Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows that Indian carriers operate more than 6,000 international flights monthly, with around 800 weekly flights originating from northern Indian cities such as Delhi, headed to destinations across North America, Europe, the UK, and the Middle East.
Of these, around 1,900 flights per month are operated using narrow-body aircraft (A320s, A321s, B737s) to the Middle East. PTI’s estimates suggest this alone could lead to an additional Rs 90 crore per month in costs. Long-haul flights using wide-body aircraft to Europe and North America are responsible for the remaining Rs 217 crore.
Beyond fuel costs, airlines are also grappling with crew duty time limits, reduced aircraft availability, and payload challenges, making the disruption more complex.
On April 25, IndiGo announced that around 50 of its international routes would be adjusted due to longer flight sectors. It also suspended operations to Almaty (from April 27 to May 7) and Tashkent (April 28 to May 7), stating that rerouting made these destinations unviable for its current fleet.
Other carriers including Air India, Air India Express, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air have not yet publicly announced flight cancellations but are expected to face operational strain. Widebody operators like Air India and IndiGo (which leases B777s and B787s) are better positioned to absorb the impact than budget airlines running narrow-body fleets.