Pakistan set to lose millions after Western airlines reroute their flights to avoid Pakistani airspace after the country banned Indian flights
After Pakistan closed its airspace for Indian airlines amid simmering tensions between the two countries in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, European and British airlines have reportedly rerouted their flights to avoid Pakistan’s airspace. Pakistan closed its skies for Indian carriers on 24th April, in response to which India also imposed a reciprocal ban on Pakistan’s aircraft, including commercial and military flights.
Notably, while Pakistan has closed its airspace specifically for Indian aircraft, Western airlines are voluntarily opting for longer routes to avoid using the country’s airspace. Several major airlines such as the Lufthansa Group, Air France, British Airways, ITA Airways, and LOT Polish Airlines have readjusted their flights, as claimed by Flightradar24, a flight tracking site.
“Air France, British Airways, & Swiss flights are adjusting, routing since yesterday to avoid crossing through Pakistan. Some airways in northern Pakistan are NOTAM’d unavailable through May, leading to adjusted routings with Pakistan as well,” Flightradar24 posted on X on 1st May. On 2nd May, the Lufthansa Group, which includes SWISS and Austrian Airlines, IT Airways and LOT, also reportedly rerouted their flights around Pakistan.
The routes affected as a result of the detour are Lufthansa flights from Munich to Delhi, Frankfurt to Mumbai and Hyderabad, and Bangkok to Munich. LOT Polish Airlines’ Warsaw-Delhi route, ITA Airways’ Rome-Delhi route, and British Airways’ London-Mumbai flights have also opted for alternative routes.
However, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Middle Eastern carriers like Emirates and Qatar Airways continue to use Pakistani airspace. “In conducting its operations, KLM always prioritises the safety of passengers and staff. Selecting safe and optimal routes is a standard part of our daily practice, and we continuously assess the safety situation…Based on current safety information, KLM and other airlines are currently flying over Pakistan,” a statement by KLM said.
Airlines conduct their own risk analysis for declaring a route as risky or safe. For the risk analysis, they refer to security agencies in the aviation industry and international organisations such as the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The airlines in question implemented precautionary detours without receiving a NOATM from Pakistan prohibiting them from using its airspace. NOATM, or Notice to Airmen, is a notification issued to pilots about potential risks on a flight route, including military activities or other threats. Even though longer flight routes result in increased travel time, more fuel consumption, longer crew hours, and maintenance costs, leading to an overall hike in the cost of a flight, the airlines are rerouting considering simmering military tensions between India and Pakistan.
Pakistan to lose millions because of Western airlines’ rerouting
With the decision of Western Airlines to reroute around Pakistan’s airspace, the country’s civil aviation authority might lose millions of dollars in overflight charges every month. An overflight charge is the fee levied by a country on airlines for using its airspace without landing. Annually, this could amount to the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Notably, in February 2019, Pakistan’s civil aviation authority reportedly lost at least $100 million in 5 months after an airspace ban following the Balakot air strike by India.
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