Following the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, tensions have escalated, leading Pakistan to close its airspace to Indian aircraft. As a result, several Indian international flights are now being rerouted over the Arabian Sea, significantly impacting long-haul operations—especially those bound for the United States.

Air India currently operates 71 weekly flights to various destinations across the U.S., of which 54 depart from Delhi alone. Due to the rerouting over the Arabian Sea, these flights are now facing increased flying hours, higher fuel consumption, and extended crew duty times. To manage these operational constraints, Air India has been using European cities such as Vienna (Austria) and Copenhagen (Denmark) as technical stopovers for refueling. However, this has resulted in substantial additional costs in terms of landing fees and fuel expenses.

To reduce these costs and improve operational efficiency, Air India is now exploring the possibility of setting up domestic technical stopovers within India itself—particularly at Mumbai or Ahmedabad. This would eliminate the need for halts in European cities and allow flights from Delhi to proceed directly to the U.S.

Air India’s MD & CEO Campbell Wilson addressed the airline staff on Friday regarding these developments. He acknowledged that due to recent airspace restrictions, several temporary changes are being made to the airline’s U.S. and European network. He emphasized that minimizing technical stops has become a key priority, and that progress is already being made in this direction.