Indian planes forced: On April 24, Pakistan announced the closure of its airspace for Indian airlines for a month, after which Indian planes and passengers are facing severe difficulties. This decision by Pakistan was taken in response to Indian threats after the Amalgam attack.
Indian planes forced, According to a private TV channel Aaj News report, several Indian flights had to change their routes after the closure of Pakistani airspace. Initially, flights were diverted to the nearest airports to refuel and immediately return, but over time this became the norm.
For example, an IndiGo flight from Sharjah to Amritsar changed its route and stopped in Ahmedabad before proceeding to its destination. Air India flights were diverted from London and Paris to Abu Dhabi, while flights from North America were diverted to Vienna and Copenhagen.
According to reports, after the situation became clear, airlines have planned to use Copenhagen and Vienna as temporary stops for flights to and from North America to refuel and resolve other technical issues. Some flights were delayed by an additional 3 to 6 hours after the decision to close the airspace.
Technical stops refer to refueling, crew rest and engine recovery, but there are some necessary procedures involved with each landing, including baggage checks, etc. Since then, the process has been requiring more checking and maintenance of aircraft parts, which is affecting Air India’s schedule because the more flights land, the more checks are required.
Copenhagen and Vienna are airports where Air India already operates flights and are among the cheapest airports in Europe.
The report said that Air India has not canceled any flights yet, but it may have to reduce the number of flights on some routes as it does not have spare aircraft that can be used as a buffer to handle the delays and their impact.
Interglobe Aviation, the owner of Indian airline IndiGo, said on Friday that it saw its share price fall 3.8%, even as the broader market index fell only 0.8%.
IndiGo, which was the first airline to cancel flights yesterday, has stopped selling flights to Almaty and Tashkent until May 7, 2025, which could affect passengers who have already booked.
Also, flights from Delhi to Istanbul do not require a technical stop as they are operated by wide-body B777 aircraft leased from Turkish Airlines, but the flight times of these flights have been increased by 30 minutes. Flights to the Middle East from Delhi and other northern airports were also delayed due to additional flight time.