Air India Restarts Non-Stop US Flights Amid Airspace Limits

Air India has resumed non-stop flights on select North American routes from Delhi and Mumbai, bypassing the costly fuel stops in Europe that were introduced after Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian carriers. According to ch-aviation ADS-B data, the airline restored non-stop services from Delhi and Mumbai to New York JFK and Newark on May 12 and May 4, respectively.

Flights from Delhi, operated by Airbus A350-900s, now take more than 15 hours—roughly two hours longer than routes crossing Pakistani airspace. Mumbai flights are using Boeing 777-300ERs. Until now, these flights included a fuel stop in Vienna to accommodate longer rerouting.

However, not all North American routes have returned to non-stop operations. Flights from Delhi to Chicago O’Hare, Toronto Pearson, and Washington Dulles still include a stop in Vienna. West Coast destinations such as San Francisco and Vancouver have largely remained unaffected, with outbound flights continuing non-stop over the Pacific. Some return flights have operated via Vienna, though recent reports suggest Air India is now using Mongolian airspace and considering fuel stops in Kolkata to restore non-stop return service as well.

Air India’s route adjustments come as the airline faces challenges from limited routing options—unable to fly over Pakistan or the Tibetan Plateau. These constraints have added significant operational costs. The carrier previously estimated that detours introduced by airspace closures were costing approximately INR50 billion (USD590 million) annually due to higher fuel usage and increased crew expenses.

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