Iran Israel war: Indian airlines are facing difficulties due to…, losses have amounted to…

Iran Israel war: The Iran-Israel war took an ugly shape after ran launched a missile attack on a US military base in Qatar forcing many airspaces to be shut down. Some countries, including Qatar, shut down their airspace, making it harder for airlines to fly over the region. India too has been impacted by this move.

The situation is getting tougher for Indian airlines day by day. While Air India has stopped flying to Europe and five cities in the U.S. and Canada because of growing tensions in the Middle East, flights by Air India Express and IndiGo going to the Middle East have also been affected, with some being diverted to other airports.

First, after the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, Pakistan closed its airspace for Indian flights. Now, due to the tension and war situation between Iran and Israel, Iranian airspace has also been closed. As a result, Indian airlines are facing huge difficulties in operating their international flights. The routes have become longer, fuel costs have increased, and ticket prices are skyrocketing which is ultimately being recovered from the pockets of the passengers. A 15 to 20 percent increase is being seen in the prices of tickets.

International flights flying from states like Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh are facing major issues.

Long journey, high expenses

Aviation expert and founder of Safety Matters Federation, Amit Singh, says that the routes of international flights have become so long that airlines have to take at least one stop in between. That is, flights which used to be non-stop earlier, now have to stop somewhere on the way. This is not only wasting the time of passengers, but also increasing the expenses of airlines. Amit Singh said that some foreign airlines are still using Pakistan’s airspace, but this route is completely closed for Indian airlines.

There are reports, that oil imports are also becoming expensive, which is directly affecting the aviation sector. When airlines have to burn more fuel, take more stops, and oil prices are also rising, it is obvious that the burden will fall on the passengers.

Closure of Iranian airspace increases difficulties

Earlier, Indian airlines used to fly to London, New York, Canada, San Francisco and many European countries via Iran using Pakistan’s airspace. But now the situation has completely changed. Not only is Pakistan’s airspace closed, Indian airlines are not using Afghanistan’s airspace either. Iran’s airspace is also closed now. Apart from this, the airspace of Iraq, Syria, Israel and Jordan is also not available for Indian flights.

Due to this, Indian airlines now have to fly over the Arabian Sea between Bhuj and Jamnagar in Gujarat. From here, they are using the airspace of Oman and UAE to reach London, America and the rest of Europe via countries like Greece, North Macedonia over the Arabian Gulf. Due to this long route, the flight time has increased, fuel consumption has increased, and it has become very difficult for airlines to manage operations.

More impact on Delhi and nearby airports

The biggest hit are international flights flying from Delhi and its surrounding airports. Flights flying from states like Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat have to avoid the half of the route near the Pakistani border. This means that flights have to take a circuitous and longer route instead of a direct route.

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