Key Takeaways
• India and Pakistan closed airspace in May 2025 after escalating military conflict, grounding hundreds of flights daily.
• Air India faces up to $600 million in annual extra costs; major global airlines rerouted or canceled flights.
• Flight detours cause delays, higher costs, missed connections, and visa processing slowdowns for international travelers.
Tensions between India 🇮🇳 and Pakistan 🇵🇰 have caused a chain reaction of airspace closures and flight delays that are felt not just in their own countries, but around the world. What started as partial restrictions at the beginning of May 2025 has quickly turned into full-scale airspace shutoffs. Passengers, airlines, and businesses are all dealing with canceled flights, longer travel times, and a lot of uncertainty as a result of the India-Pakistan airspace closure.
How Did This All Start?
In early May 2025, the situation between India 🇮🇳 and Pakistan 🇵🇰 became very tense. On May 7, India launched airstrikes on several locations in northern Pakistan. The next night, both countries carried out drone attacks against each other. India said its actions, known as “Operation Sindoor,” were to destroy terrorist camps after a deadly attack in Pahalgam. Because of this, Pakistan first stopped all Indian airlines from using its airspace on April 24. India immediately replied by banning Pakistani airlines from Indian airspace as well.
Over the first week of May, both governments made stricter rules about which areas flights could use, especially near their shared border in the north and west. Then, as fighting continued overnight on May 9 and into May 10, Pakistan announced it was closing its entire airspace to all flights at least until noon the next day. India also shut down 32 airports in its northern and western regions, including several large ones like Srinagar, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Jammu, and Leh. Earlier, 24 of these had already been closed, but now the situation was worse, affecting even more flights.
Who Is Feeling the Impact Most?
Almost everyone who travels through or near the region is dealing with the consequences. Airlines, people trying to return home, cargo companies, and even students hoping to study abroad are all affected. The sudden closures left crews and passengers stranded, and long detours have made many journeys much longer and more expensive.
Flights Cancelled, Schedules Disrupted
Here are some real numbers that show how large the problem is:
- British Airways flight BA 2160, from Islamabad to London, had to be canceled. The plane, with its crew and passengers, was left stuck in Islamabad.
– Indian airlines have had to cancel about 430 flights. This is about 3% of all the flights they would normally operate each day. - Pakistani airlines have also canceled over 147 flights, about 17% of their’s each day.
- A total of 670 air routes through closed Indian airports are affected, with 334 incoming and 336 outgoing flights stopped.
- In India, on May 8, the number of daily domestic flights dropped by 11%. Where there were 3,265 flights a day in April, there were only 2,907 by May 8.
When you add up all these affected flights, it’s clear that the India-Pakistan airspace closure is not just a local problem; it’s causing flight delays and cancellations that ripple around the globe.
Longer Journeys, Higher Costs, and More Stress
With large parts of India 🇮🇳 and Pakistan 🇵🇰 airspace closed off, planes must fly far out of their way to stay safe. This leads to extra hours in the air, more fuel used, higher costs, and longer waits for passengers.
A few examples:
– Air India’s flight from Delhi to Chicago, which used to take about 14 hours, now takes more than 19 hours because the plane needs to refuel in Vienna.
– IndiGo’s flight from Tashkent to Delhi, which once took 2 hours and 18 minutes, is now around 5 hours and 30 minutes.
– Pakistan International Airlines’ flight from Islamabad to Kuala Lumpur used to take 5 hours and 39 minutes. Now, it can take up to 8 hours and 19 minutes.
– British Airways’ flight from London to Delhi went from an average of 7 hours and 45 minutes to as much as 9 hours and 33 minutes.
For many passengers, this means lost sleep, connecting flights missed, and vacation plans ruined. For the airlines, the extra fuel and longer flight times are more than just an annoyance—they represent a huge hit to their budgets. Air India, for example, estimates that it will have to pay up to $600 million more a year in extra costs if things do not improve soon.
Effects Beyond South Asia
While it’s clear that people in India 🇮🇳 and Pakistan 🇵🇰 are the first to feel the impact, the fallout from the India-Pakistan airspace closure extends much further. Major airlines from around the world have had to change or even cancel routes that usually pass through the area. This means flight delays and changes for people and businesses on five continents.
How Other Airlines Are Reacting
- Airlines like Singapore Airlines, KLM, United Airlines, and Korean Air have all rerouted or completely canceled flights that normally pass over South Asia.
- Gulf carriers, such as Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, and Flydubai, have stopped flying to cities in northern Pakistan and India, cutting off important connections.
- Airspace over countries like Oman 🇴🇲, the United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪, and over the Arabian Sea is now much busier, as hundreds of flights are sent around the blocked zones to stay clear of danger.
- In India 🇮🇳, the air traffic controllers in Mumbai are now handling a much greater volume of flights as jets avoid the north and reroute south.
As reported by VisaVerge.com, these adjustments have created new problems, such as heavy congestion in the skies above Mumbai and over the Arabian Sea. With so many planes squeezed into the same areas, every new delay or thunderstorm can cause big problems. The extra fuel planes need for the longer routes also means more planes must stop and refuel at airports in places like Vienna or Muscat, which puts those airports under pressure, too.
The International Civil Aviation Organization explains that when one country blocks off its airspace, flights can’t just take a simple shortcut. Instead, international rules mean all planes must stick to certain flight paths and check in with controllers along the way to stay safe. This is why the airspace closure between India 🇮🇳 and Pakistan 🇵🇰 affects even those flights not landing in either country.
Worries Over Safety and Security
The safety of passengers and crew has always been a top priority. But when fighting happens close to major flight corridors, extra risks start to appear. The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines has shared worries about “GPS spoofing”—where the signals planes use to track their location are faked or tampered with. In the chaos of war, these tricks can put aircraft at risk, which is why many pilots avoid flying too close to the conflict zones altogether, causing even more delays.
New Pressures on Immigration
People hoping to travel within, to, or from India 🇮🇳 and Pakistan 🇵🇰 are facing extra stress. With airports closed, even simple trips can become complicated and slow. Students waiting to start university, families hoping to visit loved ones, and workers due to start jobs elsewhere may all have to wait longer than planned.
Airlines that usually carry people to cities like Delhi, Islamabad, or Lahore are uncertain when normal service will return. Some travelers are now looking at options with long layovers in totally different countries, just to reach their destinations. This is making it harder for everyone involved—passengers, airlines, and even governments processing visa applications and work permits.
Authorities in other countries are watching closely as hundreds of thousands of travelers change their plans. For example, airlines may try to cram more passengers onto the few flights that are still running, making airports crowded and delays longer. International students, in particular, could face disruptions starting their courses or returning home for holidays, putting extra strain on already stretched immigration systems.
Economic and Industry Fallout
The India-Pakistan airspace closure comes with a hefty price tag. Some of the economic problems include:
- Airlines are losing millions of dollars each day. Air India’s extra $600 million annual cost is just one example.
- With so many canceled or re-routed flights, airlines may need to cut routes or raise ticket prices to cover the higher costs.
- Air cargo—which handles goods like medicine, electronics, and fresh food—has been slowed down or lost altogether. This causes shortages in some countries and higher prices for businesses and customers everywhere.
- Airports in places like Vienna and Muscat are dealing with more planes needing to refuel, putting strain on their workers and resources.
In short, whenever airspace closes due to conflict, it’s not just travel plans that suffer—jobs, businesses, and whole economies feel the aftershocks.
Past Experience and What Might Come Next
Airspace closures during times of tension are not new. But today, more people than ever depend on fast, long-distance flights for work, study, and family. That means the fallout is bigger and spreads further.
Over the past ten years, short-term airspace bans have happened elsewhere—like over Ukraine 🇺🇦, Syria 🇸🇾, or Iran 🇮🇷—but most were limited in time or area. The India-Pakistan flight delays are different because the countries sit on one of the world’s main east-west air corridors, which thousands of flights use every week.
If the situation continues or gets worse, we could see:
– Airlines canceling even more flights, cutting back on non-stop routes between Europe and East Asia.
– Higher ticket prices, as airlines try to recover their increased costs.
– Longer lines and more security checks, especially for travelers connecting through crowded “safe” airports.
– Ongoing uncertainty for travelers trying to reach or leave India 🇮🇳 or Pakistan 🇵🇰, making everything from family visits to business trips riskier.
Looking for Solutions
What could help? Ultimately, the quickest fix is for peace talks between India 🇮🇳 and Pakistan 🇵🇰 to ease tensions so that both countries can reopen their skies. The international community—including aviation organizations, airlines, and governments—also has a role in encouraging safe corridors and improving communication.
Travelers can check official sources for the latest updates, such as each country’s civil aviation authority or global groups like the International Civil Aviation Organization. Most airlines update their websites and apps with new flight schedules several times a day so that passengers can plan around changes as much as possible.
For those needing to travel soon, patience and flexibility are key. If your flight is canceled, speak to your airline as soon as you can—they may offer to reroute you, adjust your ticket dates, or give a refund, depending on the circumstances.
In Summary
The India-Pakistan airspace closure first caused problems for people in the region, but those problems have now spread worldwide. With hundreds of flights canceled or delayed, longer routes meaning missed connections, and airlines facing big losses, the impact is deep and far-reaching. Airlines, travelers, and whole countries must now work to find ways around the disruptions caused by this conflict. For now, the main hope is that the situation will calm down soon, so flights, cargo, and people can once again move more freely across some of the world’s busiest skies.
Learn Today
Airspace Closure → A government-mandated shutdown of flights through a specified region for safety or security reasons during conflicts or emergencies.
Route Diversion → When airlines significantly alter flight paths to avoid dangerous or restricted areas, often resulting in longer journey times.
GPS Spoofing → Tampering with navigation signals to mislead aircraft about their position, posing serious risks especially in conflict zones.
Operation Sindoor → India’s May 2025 military operation targeting alleged terrorist camps in Pakistan following a deadly attack in Pahalgam.
Civil Aviation Authority → The national body regulating airline operations, safety, and airspace access within a country’s borders.
This Article in a Nutshell
Conflict-driven airspace closures between India and Pakistan have deeply disrupted international travel. Airlines face huge losses, passengers endure delays and long detours, while visa processes slow. The world watches and hopes for peace, as the fallout strains airports, budgets, and travel plans on multiple continents. Solutions are urgently needed.
— By VisaVerge.com
Read more:
• Operation Sindoor: Delhi airport flights cancelled after airspace warnings
• Air India could lose $600 million from Pakistan airspace closure
• Indian government works with domestic airlines after Pakistan airspace closure
• IndiGo faces disruptions on 50 international routes after Pakistan Airspace Closure
• Pakistan airspace ban grounds Indian airlines until May 2025
