Air India (AI, Delhi International) has added fuel stops at Vienna and Copenhagen Kastrup on its flights from and to North America after it had to extend the flight routes because of a Pakistani overflight ban.
ch-aviation analysis of ADS-B data shows that starting on April 23, the Indian carrier began to use Vienna as a fuel stop on its flights from Delhi International to Washington Dulles, Chicago O'Hare, New York JFK, and Toronto Pearson, and from Mumbai International to New York JFK. In turn, flights from Delhi to JFK and New York Newark, and from Mumbai to Newark, stop at Copenhagen.
Services to San Francisco and Vancouver International are unaffected as they operate over the Pacific. While the airline has had to adjust the routings slightly, this has not extended the flight time.
The current tensions between India and Pakistan escalated due to the April 22 terrorist attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan and imposed a number of retaliatory measures, including the closure of the land border, revocation of all visas to Pakistani citizens, and suspension of the Indus Water Treaty. This prompted Pakistan to respond, including by closing its airspace to Indian carriers.
