Thousands of passengers travelling this summer are likely to face longer flights and pay higher airfares due to the closure of Pakistan airspace, in place for more than a month now after the Balakot airstrike. Among the worst affected are airlines from West and Central Asia as their proximity to India and Pakistan means that they have to now take a much longer route to comply with the ban.
Passenger demand between Kabul and Delhi is now a tenth of what it used to be before the ban as airfares have more than doubled – increasing from Rs. 18,000 to Rs. 42,000 for a return journey, according to the Ariana Afghan Airlines’ India head, Barun Birla.
The fall in demand is despite SpiceJet and Air India cancelling their flights to Kabul and is an indication that a vast majority of those who travel from Afghanistan to India for medical treatment may be forced to delay their travel plans.
