India Faces Major Airline Losses as Pakistan Airspace Ban Continues on Day 13

The closure of Pakistan’s airspace to Indian flights has now entered its 13th day, causing serious financial losses and major disruptions in international travel. Since the ban started on April 23, 2025, Indian airlines have faced huge challenges in operating their regular flight schedules.

According to industry reports, over 1,350 flights have been cancelled so far. The total losses for Indian carriers have already crossed INR 275 crore in just 12 days.

All major Indian airlines—Air India, IndiGo, Akasa Air, SpiceJet, and Air India Express—are heavily affected. Because they can no longer use the direct route through Pakistan’s airspace, flights now have to go around half of India and the Arabian Sea. This has made flight paths longer and more expensive.

These extended routes have doubled fuel and operational costs. IndiGo even had to suspend its flights to Tashkent and Almaty, and there is still no update on when those routes will resume.

Flights from Amritsar, Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Bengaluru are losing crores of rupees each day. International flights to the U.S., U.K., and Europe are now facing long detours, leading to more fuel stops and longer flight times—some routes are delayed by 4 to 10 hours.

To manage these long-haul flights, airlines are also arranging crew changes in Europe, which adds extra cost. Moreover, frequent stops mean higher airport fees, which are adding crores more in daily expenses for Indian airlines.

Passengers are also suffering. Many are waiting for refunds on cancelled flights, while others are facing long travel times and delayed arrivals.

The airspace ban was initially announced by Pakistan for one month, lasting until May 23, 2025. If the closure continues beyond that, experts warn the financial impact could become even worse for India’s aviation industry.