Air India (AI, Delhi International) may add fuel stops at Mumbai International or Ahmedabad for its flights from Delhi International to North America to minimise the disruptions caused by the need to bypass closed Pakistani airspace, inside sources told the Press Trust of India news agency.
"We have made good progress in identifying other alternatives and aim to reduce the number of overseas tech-stops, and restore more non-stop operations, soon," chief executive officer Campbell Wilson said in an internal memo to staff, without going into detail.
The airline currently operates its flights from Delhi and Mumbai to North America with fuel stops at Copenhagen Kastrup and Vienna in both directions. Non-stop flights are not possible due to the significantly extended flight distance. On top of the costs associated with the additional stops and increased fuel burn, the longer flight times also complicate crew rostering. The airline obtained temporary relief from some crew working-time regulations, but the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation said it was only an interim measure.
Air India is reportedly considering whether refuelling the aircraft departing from Delhi at airports in western India could allow it to operate without technical stops abroad. This would, among other benefits, make crew rotations much easier.
The carrier currently flies from Delhi to Chicago O'Hare, New York JFK, New York Newark, Toronto Pearson, and Washington Dulles. Services to Vancouver International and San Francisco are not affected by the closure of Pakistani airspace. From Mumbai, the airline flies only to JFK, Newark, and San Francisco. The carrier has pinned the cost of the detours at almost UDS600 million per year.
Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian airlines on April 24, two days after a terrorist attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir, which prompted Delhi to impose its own set of measures against Pakistan (and later ban Pakistani carriers too).
