600 Indian Flights Diverted In 5 Days Due To Pakistan Airspace Closure After Pahalgam: Report
Following the closure of Pakistan's airspace following the Pahalgam terror attack, Indian flights have been forced to take longer alternative routes, raising fuel costs.
In the wake of the barbaric terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22, India imposed a series of measures downgrading ties with Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. Pakistan responded by suspending trade and closing its airspace for Indian airlines, forcing them to divert.
Around 600 West-bound international flights of Indian airlines have been forced to divert in the first five days since Pakistan's move on April 24, while 120 flights have had to make an extra stop to refuel while flying to Europe, North America and other destinations, according to News18′ s sister publication Moneycontrol.com.
The report cited data shared by online travel agents and flight tracking platforms. Indian airlines are forced to reroute international flights over Mumbai and Ahmedabad, turning over the Arabian Sea to head to Muscat, and then flying to their destination.
As of March 2025, Indian airlines operated around 800 international flights per week that relied on Pakistani airspace. With recent disruptions, rerouting these flights has become increasingly complicated and expensive.
Routes originating from cities like Delhi, Amritsar, Srinagar, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, and Jaipur — especially those bound for the Middle East — are now taking 15 to 45 minutes longer. Flights heading to Europe are facing even steeper delays, with extended durations of up to 1.5 hours.
'All IndiGo, Akasa Air, Air India and Air India Express international flights from Delhi, Amritsar, Jaipur, Lucknow and Srinagar to countries in the Middle East including Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, countries in Eastern Europe including Turkey, Greece, Georgia, and to the US and Canada have been rerouted since April 24," a senior executive from an online travel platform told Moneycontrol.com.
Linus Bauer, founder and managing director of UAE-based consultancy BAA & Partners, said if Pakistan's airspace closure continues over a month, the financial impact on Indian airlines could be in the range of $10-15 million, including direct operational costs such as fuel and crew overtime plus indirect revenue losses, reduced cargo capacity and schedule unreliability.
Financial Impact On Indian Airlines
Explaining how the airspace closure would impact India, Bauer said additional cost per flight could go as high as $1,350 to $3,000 as planes fly longer distances. As the airspace closure persists, airline costs are bound to rise and could result in higher airfares.
Furthermore, airlines from other countries can continue to overfly Pakistan, possibly giving them an advantage in terms of costs over their Indian counterparts on the affected routes.
This situation is reminiscent of the 2019 airspace closure by Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack on Indian Army personnel. According to the then-aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Indian carriers lost over Rs 540 crore between February 26 and July 2, 2019. State-owned Air India had incurred a loss of Rs 491 crore alone.
India Mulling To Close Airspace For Pakistani Carriers
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said that it is working with Indian airlines to get a better assessment of the impact of Pakistani airspace closure, and to work out the best possible solutions for both passengers and carriers. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation had issued an advisory to airlines focusing on passenger communication and comfort.
Meanwhile, India is considering closing its airspace to Pakistani carriers in a retaliatory move following Islamabad's decision to block Indian airlines from its airspace, which would force Pakistani airlines to reroute their flights over China or Sri Lanka to reach Southeast Asian destinations like Kuala Lumpur.
Many of Pakistan's commercial flights to the Gulf, Southeast Asia, and beyond, including key routes such as Karachi to Kuala Lumpur or Dubai, rely heavily on access to Indian airspace. If India were to shut its skies, these flights would be forced to reroute over Iran, Afghanistan, or Central Asian countries – regions that pose both geopolitical and logistical risks.
First Published:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
11 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Trump tariffs: Why gem & jewellery sector fears rivals could undercut Indian exports
Facing a sharp blow from the US' steep tariff hike, India's gem and jewellery export industry has sought government intervention to cushion the impact and sustain its competitiveness in global markets. The sector finds itself at a crossroads, as rivals like Turkey, Vietnam and Thailand continue to enjoy significantly lower tariffs, making Indian products less attractive in the lucrative American market. The US accounts for nearly 30 per cent — or close to $10 billion — of the total gem and jewellery exports. Kirit Bhansali, chairman of the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), warned that unless corrective action is taken, India risks losing its hard-won position as a key supplier to the US. The threat isn't just financial — it's strategic. Bhansali expressed concern that international trade may start rerouting via low-tariff countries like Mexico, Canada, UAE, Oman and Turkey, undermining transparency and sidelining legitimate Indian players. This is particularly alarming since 85 per cent of exports from the SEEPZ Special Economic Zone — that employs over 50,000 people — are to the US. For cut and polished diamonds, the US remains the market for nearly half of India's total exports. A prolonged tariff standoff, Bhansali warned, could bring the industry to a grinding halt. The industry has asked the government to roll out a targeted scheme — similar to the Duty Drawback — that would reimburse 25–50 per cent of the new US-bound tariff burden between August and December 2025. GJEPC believes this is vital to prevent disruption across the value chain, stretching from artisanal karigars to large-scale manufacturers. In addition to tariff relief, exporters are calling for temporary financial breathing space. They've requested a six-month deferment on interest payments, a measure that echoes the pandemic-era support extended by lending institutions. With cancelled orders threatening to lock up working capital and push units towards non-performing asset (NPA) status, the Council has urged the government to allow SEZ units to release unsold stock into the domestic market. The sector is also grappling with shipment delays triggered by global uncertainty. To address this, banks are being asked to extend pre-shipment loan due dates by 90 days without penalties. The GJEPC has also called for the reintroduction of the interest subvention scheme, which could offer much-needed liquidity during a period of heightened risk. It has asked both the Centre and the RBI to consider short-term relief packages tailored to the sector's needs. Ironically, while the threat looms large, recent data points to a short-term spike in trade. Gross exports of gems and jewellery rose by nearly 16 per cent in July 2025, reaching $2.18 billion (Rs 18,756 crore), up from $1.88 billion (Rs 15,700 crore) a year ago. Imports too surged 26.5 per cent, as traders rushed to complete orders before the tariff hike took effect in August. A similar surge was seen in cut and polished diamond exports, which jumped nearly 18 per cent to $1.07 billion (Rs 9,230 crore), largely due to pre-emptive stocking by global buyers. This uptick, however, may be short-lived. Colin Shah, MD of Kama Jewelry, termed July's performance as a 'cautionary uptick' — a final flourish before the sector feels the full weight of tariff-induced drag. While new trade agreements like the India-UAE CEPA have unlocked opportunities, the broader landscape remains volatile. High gold prices, geopolitical uncertainty, and unstable metal markets continue to cloud the outlook, he said. The festive and wedding seasons in India may help absorb some of the shock by boosting domestic demand. But for the export-reliant segment, all eyes are now on the trajectory of India-US trade negotiations. With the current 50 per cent tariffs in place, sustaining recent growth could prove difficult, and industry leaders are hoping that policymakers will step in before the sparkle fades.
Mint
11 minutes ago
- Mint
India's ‘Next Gen GST' may pave way for single tax slab System: Report
Senior government officials have described the proposed GST tax reforms as 'Next Gen GST', a significant overhaul that could eventually pave the way for a single sales/services tax rate by 2047. The proposal, if approved by the GST council, aims to replace the current four-slab structure in the goods and services tax (GST) regime with a two-slab regime, featuring rates of 5 per cent and 18 per cent, while also retaining a 40 per cent tax on 'sin goods.' This new system would eliminate the 12 per cent and 28 per cent tax brackets, PTI reported. The primary goal of this reform is to boost the economy and also serve to mitigate tariff threats. Calling it the "next Gen GST', one government official said "it is a game changer reform. In the pantheon of economic reforms seen in India, it's right up there." said officials who spoke to PTI. They also said the new structure would mean that almost all of the common use items will move to the lower tax bracket, leading to price cuts, which in turn would boost consumption. The changes are a result of nearly six months of extensive deliberations and meetings, with an aim of creating a stable tax environment and preventing the accumulation of input tax credit (ITC). The new structure is designed to cater to the needs of the middle class, poor, farmers, and MSMEs in mind. Daily use items, such as packaged food, beverages and apparel would be moved to the lower 5 per cent from 12 per cent bracket to boost consumption of these products. "Once the system is put in place and India becomes a developed nation, we can think about a single rate GST," said the official, adding that a single rate structure is suitable for developed countries where income and spending capacities are uniform. "We have looked at every item, item by item and in some cases we have gone back and forth 3-4 times. Whether it is pesticide for use by farmers or pencils for students or some raw material or intermediaries for MSMEs, every item has been discussed threadbare and categorized in the merit or standard slab,' the official said. According to the proposal, a significant number of items would be re-categorized: 12 to 5 per cent: As many as 99 per cent of the items in the 12 per cent category such as butter, fruit juices and dry fruits would move to 5 per cent tax rate. 28 to 18 per cent: About 90 per cent of the items currently taxed at 28 per cent, including electronic items like ACs, TVs, fridges, and washing machines as well as other goods like cement will be moved to the 18 per cent slab. The Council is expected to meet next month to deliberate on the tax reform proposal. The move comes after US President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on all goods India exports to the US, bringing the total to 50 per cent from August 27 to punish New Delhi for its crude oil purchases from Russia. The tariffs are likely to impact $40-billion of non-exempt Indian exports such as that of gems and jewelry, textiles and footwear. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address to the nation on Friday emphasized that India should become self-reliant and consume what is made in India, PTI reported.
India Today
23 minutes ago
- India Today
Trump's tariffs put Tamil Nadu's 20,000 factories, 30 lakh jobs at risk
India's knitwear capital has raised an SOS after US President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on Indian exports, putting 20,000 factories and nearly 30 lakh jobs at Duraisamy, Joint Secretary of the Thiruppur Exporters Association, said the district, with 2,500 exporters and 20,000 standalone units, contributes 68 percent of India's knitwear exports.'Last year we made a turnover of Rs 44,744 crore, which is a phenomenal growth amidst the COVID lockdown, the slowing down of the Western economy and the Russia-Ukraine crisis. After this, we got 20 percent growth. Thiruppur caters to the USA, the UK, European Nations, Australia, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and African countries, of which American business is 40 percent and Europe makes another 40 percent, the UK 10 percent and the rest is 10 percent,' he dependent solely on US buyers face the brunt of the crisis. Factories manufacturing core items such as undergarments, baby suits, and sleepwear are in 'deep trouble' as razor-thin margins make it impossible to absorb tariffs.'Buyers have instructed the factories to shipout whatever goods which are ready by 27th August while also asking to absorb a certain portion of the tariff which many have agreed to. But when the second 25 percent is announced for India, it is a huge blow as no one can absorb such a blow. This has put a hold on orders with buyer instructing no more shipment of orders after 27th August,' Duraisamy Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking urgent intervention. 'In the last financial year, while 20% of India's total goods exports of $433.6 billion were to the United States, 31% of Tamil Nadu's $52.1 billion goods exports went there. This higher dependency on the US market clearly implies that tariff impact on Tamil Nadu will be disproportionately greater than for most other Indian states,' Stalin that Tamil Nadu accounts for 28 percent of India's textile exports, Stalin warned that a tariff hike could endanger millions of livelihoods. 'Especially, our textile sector employs nearly 75 lakh people and with a 25 percent tariff and a proposed 50 percent tariff, an estimated 30 lakh jobs are at immediate risk. To mitigate this crisis, it is essential to address structural issues that have long hindered our export competitiveness,' he said.- EndsMust Watch advertisementIN THIS STORY#Tamil Nadu
