600 Indian Flights Diverted In 5 Days Due To Pakistan Airspace Closure After Pahalgam: Report
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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.
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