A new problem is emerging for airlines: the military escalation between India and Pakistan. So far, it has been a limited armed conflict, which could simply degenerate into a war between the two countries, which have been enemies since the partition of India in 1947. The military fire in the Kashmir region means that theairlines are now avoiding flying over northern India and the whole of Pakistan.
In concrete terms, European air carriers are now taking a route via Turkey, the Persian Gulf and the Middle East. (Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Oman) before entering India via Bombay and continuing on to South-East Asia. On this route, flight time remains more or less the same.
Concerning flights to China, Korea and Japan from EuropeAs a result, aircraft now fly via Turkey, Central Asia and China, avoiding both Russia in the north and the Afghanistan/Pakistan duo in the south. Here too, with no real impact on flight times.
On the other hand, flight times are extended de facto for flights to Delhi. Airlines must now enter India at Ahmedabad and fly over Rajasthan before landing in Delhi. A route that extends flight times by a maximum of 45 to 60 minutes for flights from Europe..
Air India, the hardest hit by the conflict
However, it is the Indian companies that will suffer the most from the situation, in particular Air Indiabased in Delhi. The carrier will have to redirect all its flights via the south of the airport. This affects not only the duration of its flights to Europe but also to North America.. The carrier now has to make a stopover on the continent (usually in Copenhagen or Vienna) to fill its tanks.
Several Asian airlines have also announced that they are redeploying their routes via other air routes. China Airlines cancelled its Taipei-London flight on Wednesday because it had to make a technical stopover. While Thai Airways, Vietnam Airlines and Eva Air have indicated that some routes will have to adjust their timetables.
Business passengers should therefore contact their airline to check departure times and any connections they may have.
