Air India Adjusts US Flights Due To Pakistan Airspace Closure

Update: Pakistan’s airspace has reopened.

It sure seems like a complicated time for global aviation, between the Gulf blockade, Pakistan closing their airspace, the 737 MAX being grounded, etc.

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As I posted about a couple of weeks ago, in late February Pakistan’s airspace closed. Historically quite a few airlines use Pakistan’s airspace when flying between regions, so this has led to significant detours for some airlines.

One of the airlines most impacted by this is Air India, given their route network. In particular, their US routes are hugely impacted, so I figured I’d outline what’s happening there.

Air India’s US routes

Air India’s US routes include the following:

• Delhi to Chicago
• Delhi to New York JFK
• Delhi to San Francisco
• Delhi to Washington Dulles
• Mumbai to Newark
• Mumbai to New York JFK

These are already very long flights, and due to airspace closure, they’re having to take even more circuitous routings.

So, how is Air India handling this situation? They’ve put some temporary measures in place through April 30, 2019, though obviously this is subject to change based on if/when Pakistan’s airspace opens back up.

Let’s look at how this is being handled on a route-by-route basis:

Air India’s flights from Delhi to both Chicago and New York JFK

These flights to the US are routing via Vienna, so that the plane can be refueled there. They now also have a crew change in Vienna. Initially these flights routed via Sharjah, but they decided that the Vienna stop made more sense.

The flight back to India operates nonstop due to tailwinds.

Air India’s flights from Delhi to Washington

These flights to the US are routing via Mumbai, so the plane can be refueled there. In some cases there may be further payload restrictions, but the flight operates nonstop from Mumbai to Washington.

The flight back to India operates nonstop due to tailwinds.

Air India’s flights from Delhi to San Francisco

This route is sort of the opposite of Air India’s other US routes. This is Air India’s longest route, and what makes this unique is that the flight from India to the US operates via the Pacific, so it’s not impacted by the Pakistan airspace closure.

However, the return flight from the US to India is potentially impacted. The flight is typically operated by the 777-200LR, which is their longest range plane. Despite the longer flight time, it can typically operate nonstop. In some cases it has been in the air for 18hr5min — now that’s a long flight!

While that’s how the flight is scheduled, sometimes the airline swaps in a 777-300ER last minute, and in that case a fuel stop may be needed in Sharjah (the flight operates via the Atlantic when flying from the US to India).

Air India’s flights from Mumbai to New York JFK

Air India only launched flights between Mumbai and New York JFK in December, but they’re already suspending the route, and instead consolidating it with their Newark flight, in light of current events.

Air India’s flights from Mumbai to Newark

Air India’s flights from Mumbai to Newark can continue to operate nonstop, though with a payload penalty (meaning they can’t take as many passengers or cargo). It’s possible these flights have to stop for refueling, though it’s not scheduled.

The eastbound flights are operating as usual.

Bottom line

Air India is obviously doing everything they have to in order to deal with this situation. The longer flight times and potential fuel stops are obviously inconvenient for passengers but are also inevitable.

Is anyone scheduled to take Air India to/from the US in the coming weeks?