Air India seeking a China route as Pakistan airspace stays shut

New Delhi: Air India has asked the Indian government to talk to China about allowing its planes to fly through a sensitive military airspace zone in Xinjiang, Reuters reports. The airline says this shortcut is needed because Pakistan has blocked Indian carriers from using its airspace since April, forcing long detours and very high fuel costs. This request comes soon after direct India-China flights restarted following a five-year break due to border tensions.

Air India’s international network has been under pressure this year. After the Air India Ahmedabad crash, that killed all 260 onboard, the airline had to cut some flights for safety checks.

Now, because Pakistan airspace is closed, many of Air India’s long-haul flights to the U.S., Canada and Europe are taking up to three hours longer and using much more fuel. According to a document the airline submitted to Indian officials in October, fuel costs have increased by up to 29%. Air India says this is hurting its finances heavily, the ban is costing the airline about $455 million a year.

To reduce losses, the airline wants permission to use a route over Hotan in China’s Xinjiang region. This would also give it emergency landing options at airports like Hotan, Kashgar and Urumqi.

The airspace Air India wants to use is considered risky for two main reasons. The high mountainous terrain (up to 20,000 feet) is dangerous in case of emergencies like cabin pressure loss. Besides this region falls under China’s Western Theater Command, which handles defence operations against India and has strong missile and air-defence systems.

Because of these issues, most international airlines avoid this area. China’s military also tightly controls airspace in the region, and very few foreign flights operate to airports like Hotan.

Experts say it is unlikely that China will easily agree to Air India’s request.

Several long-haul Air India routes are becoming difficult to operate like the Delhi–Washington flights were suspended in August, direct flights from Mumbai and Bengaluru to San Francisco may also be cancelled because of the extra three-hour detour and the need for a technical stop in Kolkata.

Travel times have become longer than some foreign airlines, causing passengers to shift away from Air India.

The airline says that if it gets access to the China route, it can save fuel, reduce flight times, restore capacity on routes like New York and Vancouver, and cut losses by about $1.13 million per week.

Because the airspace issue may continue for some time, Air India has also asked the government for temporary financial support until Pakistan’s airspace reopens.

Some tax authorities have warned of “coercive action”, including freezing assets, to recover dues.

Air India says such tax problems are adding to its cashflow burden, even though the government had agreed to protect the airline from old liabilities when it was sold to Tata Group in 2022.