You dont have javascript enabled! Please enable it!
Archives

SOURCE: AFI

Several major European airlines, including Lufthansa, Air France, British Airways, and SWISS, have begun voluntarily avoiding Pakistani airspace due to escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, following Pakistan’s closure of its airspace to Indian carriers. This development, reported by The Times of India, is causing significant disruptions to international flight routes, increasing operational costs, and extending travel times for passengers.

The decision by European carriers comes in the wake of Pakistan’s airspace restrictions, effective from April 24, 2025, which barred Indian-registered aircraft, charter operators, and private jets from overflying its territory. The move was part of Pakistan’s retaliatory measures after India accused Pakistani nationals of involvement in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 Hindu tourists in Jammu and Kashmir. India responded by closing its airspace to all Pakistani-registered aircraft, including military planes, from April 30 to May 23, 2025, further intensifying the aviation standoff.

While Pakistan’s ban does not apply to foreign carriers, the perceived geopolitical risks along the India-Pakistan border have prompted European airlines to conduct their own risk assessments and opt for alternative routes. Posts on X indicate that airlines from Britain, Switzerland, France, Italy, and Poland have avoided Pakistani airspace for at least two days, with flight tracking data from Flightradar24 showing adjusted routings since May 1. For instance, Air France, British Airways, and SWISS have been rerouting flights to avoid crossing northern Pakistan, where some airways are under a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) restriction through May 31, 2025.

The rerouting is significantly impacting flight operations. Flights from Europe to Delhi and other northern Indian cities, which typically use Pakistani airspace for efficient routing, are now taking longer paths, often over the Arabian Sea, Iran, or Central Asia. This has led to increased fuel consumption and extended flight times, with some routes adding up to an hour for European destinations and longer for flights to Central Asia or the Middle East. Lufthansa, for example, has adjusted its Mumbai-bound flights to avoid Pakistan, previously routing through Iran and Pakistan but now navigating via Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf.

The financial implications for Pakistan are substantial. By closing its airspace to Indian carriers—one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing aviation markets—Pakistan is losing millions in overflight fees. The situation is compounded by foreign carriers’ voluntary avoidance, further reducing revenue for Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). A similar airspace closure in 2019 cost Pakistan nearly $100 million, with daily losses estimated at $760,000 due to forgone overflight charges and operational impacts on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). Posts on X suggest that the current restrictions could lead to even greater economic losses, given the broader avoidance by Western airlines.

For Indian carriers like Air India and IndiGo, the Pakistani airspace ban has already caused significant disruptions, with rerouted flights to Europe, North America, and the Middle East adding up to two hours for North American routes and 30-90 minutes for European and Gulf destinations. Air India has reported potential losses of $600 million annually due to increased fuel costs and extended flight times, prompting the airline to seek government compensation. IndiGo has canceled flights to Central Asian cities like Tashkent and Almaty, as its narrow-body aircraft cannot cover the extended routes.

The European carriers’ decision to avoid Pakistani airspace reflects a broader trend of heightened caution amid the India-Pakistan standoff. The reciprocal airspace closures, coupled with diplomatic measures like India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and Pakistan’s trade suspensions, have escalated tensions to their lowest point in years. The United States and the United Nations have called for restraint and dialogue to prevent further escalation, but the aviation sector continues to bear the brunt of the conflict.

NOTE: AFI is a proud outsourced content creator partner of IDRW.ORG. All content created by AFI is the sole property of AFI and is protected by copyright. AFI takes copyright infringement seriously and will pursue all legal options available to protect its content.






error: <b>Alert: </b>Content selection is disabled!!