UAE travel: Budget Indian carriers to reroute flights after Pakistan airspace closure

Dubai: Indian budget carriers operating international flights, particularly those serving routes to the UAE from northern parts of India, are implementing precautionary rerouting measures to avoid flying over Pakistan airspace.

The move made by the airlines was triggered in response to the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians.

Flights departing from major cities like Delhi and other destinations in North India are anticipated to experience increased travel times due to these alternate flight paths. Industry sources suggest that airfares on these affected routes could see a short-term increase, estimated to be between 8 per cent and 12 per cent.

Akasa Air confirmed its decision to reroute flights proactively, citing a “tragic incident in Pahalgam” as context for the precautionary measure.

The airline said, “We have proactively decided to reroute any flights expected to fly over Pakistan airspace as a precautionary measure.” Akasa added that this adjustment is not expected to have a significant impact on their operations or cause inconvenience to their passengers.

“We will continue to assess the situation daily and make any necessary adjustments to our flight operations to maintain the highest levels of safety that are central to our operations at all times,” the airline said.

While SpiceJet has yet to issue a formal travel advisory, a spokesperson for the airline confirmed to Financial Express Online that their flights from North India to the UAE would be rerouted via alternative paths. The spokesperson said these flights would carry additional fuel to accommodate the longer flying time but stated there was “no significant impact on our flight schedules.”

Both airlines underscore that maintaining safety remains their top priority as they continue to monitor the situation.

India’s biggest carriers, Air India and IndiGo, are also reporting flight delays following the airspace closure. Air India said, “Due to the announced restriction of Pakistan airspace for all Indian airlines, it is expected that some Air India flights to or from North America, UK, Europe and Middle East will take an alternative extended route.”

Additionally, IndiGo’s international operations are also impacted. The airline said, “Due to Pakistan's sudden announcement of air space closure, a few of our international flights are being impacted.”

To bring back stranded tourists from Jammu and Kashmir, India's civil aviation ministry said 110 flights, including eight additional services, were operated connecting Srinagar airport, which handled more than 14,000 passengers on Thursday (April 24, 2025), according to Indian media reports.