Airports Shut and Over 200 Flights Canceled

India has closed at least 18 airports, including key airports in north India — Srinagar, Leh, Amritsar and Chandigarh, following India’s military operation into Pakistani-controlled territory early Wednesday. India said the strikes were in response to the terror attack that killed 26 civilians in Pahalgam. 

Airlines were forced to cancel more than 200 flights, with IndiGo confirming that it has cancelled 165 flights. The restrictions will stay in place until at least May 10.

IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet, Akasa Air, Star Air and Air India Express cancelled flights to and from the affected cities. 

Indigo had earlier cancelled flights to and from Jammu, Leh, Chandigarh, Srinagar, Amritsar, Dharamshala, Bikaner and Jodhpur. In most recent updates, Indigo has included Gwalior, Rajkot and Kishangarh to the list.

Air India has cancelled flights to these destinations as well as to Bhuj and Jamnagar. 

Foreign carriers like Emirates, American Airlines, Etihad and Qatar Airways also adjusted their operations, either cancelling flights or rerouting them.

Airports in Delhi and Bengaluru, which haven’t shut down, still issued warnings about flight delays and cancellations. “Due to changing airspace conditions some flights have been impacted. Passengers are advised to contact their respective airlines for the latest updates and alternate travel arrangements,” Delhi Airport said in a statement. Airlines are offering full refunds or free rescheduling for affected passengers.

Pakistan Airspace Closure 

Two weeks ago, Pakistan closed its airspace to all Indian carriers, escalating diplomatic tensions just two days after a terrorist attack in India’s Jammu and Kashmir region killed 26 people, most of them tourists. This has made it harder for airlines flying from India to Europe, North America, and Central Asia.

Budget airlines like IndiGo have had to cancel flights to Almaty and Tashkent. Other routes, like Delhi to Baku and Tbilisi, have seen long delays and detours. These are growing markets for Indian travelers and now they’re harder to reach.

Long-haul flights to places like New York or London are now taking longer routes. Some are even stopping to refuel, which adds hours to the journey. These changes are costing airlines more money.

Cost to Carriers

This disruption is costing airlines a lot of money. Flights are using more fuel as schedules and flight times increase.

Experts say delays in one part of the world can easily cause delays somewhere else. A flight held up in Europe could delay another one in India. If this continues, airlines could start losing money.

Air India says it could lose about $600 million if Pakistan keeps its airspace closed for a year. The airline has asked the Indian government for help covering those losses. According to Reuters, in a letter to the Ministry of Civil Aviation last week, Air India asked for financial support based on how much it’s losing. The airline estimates a loss of more than INR 50 billion ($591 million) for each year the ban lasts.

This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. In 2019, when Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian carriers, the total losses were around INR 5.5 billion ($65 million). Air India, which was state-owned at the time, lost the most — nearly INR 4.9 billion ($57.5 million). Private airlines like SpiceJet and IndiGo also took hits of around INR 307 million ($3.6 million) and INR 251 million ($3 million).

When the airspace finally reopened after more than four months in 2019, Air India said its costs dropped right away. It saved about INR 2 million ($24,000) on each one-way flight to the U.S. and INR 500,000 ($5900) on flights to Europe.

Other international carriers are also avoiding the Pakistan airspace because of the rising tensions with India. This means fewer planes are flying over Pakistan. And that’s a problem for Islamabad, because it earns money every time a plane flies through its airspace.