New Delhi: Airlines that have to re-route their flights after Pakistan shut its airspace face rising costs in their international operations because of longer flight durations and disruption in flight schedules, company executives said on Wednesday.
Flights bound for Europe and the Gulf region now have to fly through India’s west coast and the Arabian Sea. This, an airline executive said, adds at least one hour of flying time to these flights. “Costs will obviously go up,” an executive at an Indian carrier with overseas operations said on condition of anonymity.
Another senior executive at an airline with international operations said the extra travel time affects flight schedules, cost of refreshments and the entire cost structure of the airline.
