LAHORE:
As Ban Pakistan airspace slapped Indian aircrafts for forty days, the cost of Air India is changing from heavy to almost unknown, aviation sources said Wednesday.
The Indian national carrier has already received a blow of more than 8.2 billion since the closing began.
According to well -located aviation experts, Air India is bleeding approximately RS2 billion every day due to longer alternative routes, greater fuel consumption and delays caused by the airspace diversion.
In a sign of growing frustration, the executive director of Air India, Campbell Wilson, has formally written the Indian government, highlighting the financial damage scale.
In the letter, according to reports, Wilson warned that continuous restrictions could make airline operations not unsustainable if they are not approached soon.
According to the Economic Times, an internal presentation showed that Air India, at the end of last year, had established a goal to be profitable for fiscal year 27. However, the closure of the Pakistani airspace for Indian aircraft carriers is likely to delay that.
“It will still take a little more time to achieve what we want to achieve, but at the beginning it was a five -year project,” Wilson said in the interview with The Economic Times, referring to the five -year transformation plan ‘Vihaan’ announced in September 2022.
“The closure of the Pakistani airspace, which began on April 24, has forced Air India flights to North America to take deviations and stop in Vienna or Copenhagen to refuel, which leads to an increase in expenses,” the report said.
“It is not insignificant, but … whenever it covers the cost of the operation, we will continue to operate,” Wilson said. “We do not know to what extent the final result will be affected. We will try to minimize the effect.”
CEO’s concerns are not limited only to Air India. According to reports, other Indian operators have also suffered billions of rupees in cumulative losses, although precise estimates remain without revealing.
“This is not just turbulence, it is a complete storm for Indian aviation,” said a senior aviation official, noting that the closure of 40 days has altered flight logistics, the increase in operating costs and complicated international schedules for Indian carriers.
The restrictions of the airspace, which entered into force due to high diplomatic tensions, have now completed 40 days, without any advance in sight. For airlines forced to avoid Pakistani airspace, heaven is not only the limit but also an expensive detour.
As the prohibition continues, industry experts warn that Indian carriers could soon be forced to reduce routes or walk rates, passing the load to passengers, unless diplomatic channels find a way to clear the air.
