NEW DELHI – The airspace ban over Pakistan which began on February 27, aday after India claimed violated the Pakistani air space in Balakot, iscosting Indian national carrier Air India dearly, reported Indian newschannel *NDTV.link*
As a result of longer flights, which have had to become one-stopoperations, the airline has bled more than Rs 60 crore (Indian) so far. Andthat number is going up every day – potentially disastrous news for thecash-strapped airline which is surviving on government bailouts.
Air India flights travelling west can no longer fly through Pakistaniairspace and need to swing south across Gujarat and then cut across theArabian sea to reach their destinations in Europe and North America. Themost problematic flights for Air India are flights between India and the USEast coast – Washington, New York, Newark and also Chicago.
These flights can no longer operate non-stop and have had to stop at eitherSharjah or Vienna to refuel. Each refuelling halt, mandatory on both theoutbound and return legs, costs the airline Rs50 Indian lakh on an average.With the airline having to position crew and engineers in Vienna, Air Indiahas lost approximately Rs 60 Indian crore till March 16.
The non-stop service from Delhi to San Francisco which flies east, acrossthe Pacific, has not been affected.
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With losses rising with every flight, Air India has now cut its Viennastop-over to just two flights while other flights are being refuelled inMumbai. But this too is problematic since refuelling flights bound forNorth America in Mumbai comes with payload penalties. Essentially, thereare restrictions which are placed on the number of passengers each jet cancarry. If an airliner carries less, the airline earns less as well on eachaffected sector.
For passengers, the biggest concern is the time taken. Ultra-long-haulflights, a highlight of Air India’s operations since it inducted the Boeing777-300ER and Boeing 777-200LR aircraft, now take up to four hours longerper sector. This means that flights to the United States can now last morethan 18 hours inclusive of the refuelling halt.
Air India’s Boeing 787-800 “Dreamliner” service to Europe has also been hitby the Pakistani airspace ban. The airline has cancelled flights toBirmingham and Madrid because it needs an extra pilot on board to cater forthe longer flights. Each flight to European destinations is presently abouttwo hours longer than it was earlier
