Air India Adds Fuel Stops in Europe Amid Pakistan Airspace Ban

Air India has introduced fuel stops at Vienna and Copenhagen for its North American flights after being forced to reroute around Pakistani airspace, which is now closed to Indian carriers due to escalating regional tensions.

According to ch-aviation’s analysis of ADS-B flight data, Air India began using Vienna as a refueling stop on April 23 for services from Delhi to Washington Dulles, Chicago O’Hare, New York JFK, and Toronto Pearson, as well as from Mumbai to New York JFK. Meanwhile, flights from Delhi to New York JFK and Newark, and from Mumbai to Newark, are now stopping at Copenhagen Kastrup for refueling.

Flights to San Francisco and Vancouver remain unaffected, as they continue to operate on trans-Pacific routes that do not require detours over Pakistani airspace. While some routes have been lengthened, the airline has adjusted operations to avoid significantly increasing overall flight times.

The airspace closure follows a deadly terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22, which killed 26 people. India blamed Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba for the attack and responded with retaliatory measures including the revocation of Pakistani visas, closure of the land border, and suspension of the Indus Water Treaty. In turn, Pakistan closed its airspace to all Indian carriers, forcing Air India to find alternate routing options for its westbound flights.

These changes are expected to temporarily increase operational costs, with added fuel and airport handling requirements, as the geopolitical situation between the two nations continues to deteriorate.

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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com