It has been a week since the Pakistani airspace for Indian airlines was shut down. In retaliation, Indian airspace has also been shut for Pakistani Civil and Military aircraft. This forced Air India to adopt a one-stop strategy, which has continued so far.

Air India’s US flights affected by additional fuel stop

Air India has had to quickly switch to a one-stop strategy to operate the flights to and from the US and Canada. Most stoppages are in Vienna, but a couple of flights pass through Copenhagen on some days because that is closer on their route.

• Air India flights are stopping in Vienna.
  • Vancouver – Delhi (operated by the Boeing 777-300ER)
  • San Francisco – Delhi (operated by the Boeing 777-200LR)
  • Mumbai – Newark and New York JFK (operated by the Boeing 777-300ER)
  • San Francisco – Mumbai and Bengaluru (operated by the Boeing 777-200LR)
  • Delhi – Toronto and Toronto – Delhi (operated by the Boeing 777-300ER)
  • Delhi – Washington DC and Washington DC – Delhi (operated by the Boeing 787-8)
  • Delhi – Chicago and Chicago – Delhi (operated by the Boeing 777-300ER)
• Air India flights stopping in Vienna or Copenhagen
  • Delhi – Newark and New York JFK (operated by the Airbus A350-900)

The additional fuel stop is causing the flight to take an additional three to six hours to operate, significantly impacting Delhi’s originating and terminating flights. For instance, Delhi-Chicago (AI127) operated under 15 hours. The flight takes over 19 hours, including time on the ground in Vienna. Some flights that take the Pacific Route are spared from this mess.

And here are other examples of longer flights on Air India, from the Air India website.

This is not just consequential for the flights to the US; flights to Europe also operate with an hour-and-a-half longer routing, though they don’t need to stop for refuelling anymore.

Unfortunately, if this continues for a long time, it will impact Air India. The airline is trying to build a hub in Delhi and promote international transfers between Europe and Asia, because their inability to deliver will mean people go back to other carriers that were used in the past.

Is IndiGo Impacted?

Yes. IndiGo stated last week that about 50 of its international flights will be subject to longer flight times due to the airspace closure. Only two flights have been cancelled, including those to Almaty and Tashkent. However, the airline has operated Tashkent to Delhi flights to bring back people who are still in Tashkent, and these flights took 5 hours rather than the usual two hours and a few minutes.

What is the solution?

The Economic Times reports that the Indian Government and carriers are trying to figure out a new route. If this works, Indian carriers won’t have to enter Pakistan or Afghanistan, but China and head to Tajikistan. However, the availability of ample oxygen on these aircraft will need to be figured out if the route works.

Bottomline

The closure of the Pakistan Airspace has led to Air India (and to a lesser extent, IndiGo) having to fly much longer flights. For Air India, its entire US and Canada network now has to make a pit stop in Europe to tank up for the flight, adding 3-6 hours of extra flight time for the airline.

What do you think will be the eventual resolution to this situation for Air India?

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