Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, May 9: The ongoing closure of Pakistan’s airspace since April 24 has triggered a massive rerouting of international flights through Mumbai, creating a sharp 20% surge in workload for Mumbai Air Traffic Control (ATC). Airlines including Air India (AI), IndiGo (6E), Emirates (EK), and Qatar Airways (QR) have revised flight paths, bypassing Pakistan and traversing Indian skies via Mumbai.
Flights from northern India and Southeast Asia to Europe and the Americas, which typically avoided Mumbai by taking the Bhopal-Ahmedabad-Karachi-Muscat route, are now funneled through Mumbai’s already busy airspace. Mumbai ATC, which normally manages 950–970 arrivals and departures daily, is now handling an additional 2,000 overflights due to these changes.
Over 130 flights from north India and around 250 from Southeast Asia are affected, rerouting via Ahmedabad to reach destinations in the Middle East and beyond. Following India's Operation Sindoor missile strikes, 25 Indian routes into Pakistan were suspended, further crowding the skies over Mumbai.
Indian carriers are feeling the brunt. Air India’s Delhi-London and Mumbai-New York flights are now flying longer routes over the Arabian Sea, adding 2 to 2.5 hours of flight time and 600–800 nautical miles. IndiGo is planning hub-and-spoke operations from Mumbai to streamline northern traffic as it eyes new long-haul routes to Amsterdam and Manchester.
Foreign carriers like Lufthansa (LH) and Singapore Airlines (SQ) are also navigating new flight paths via Mumbai, resulting in a 15% spike in overflights, according to FlightRadar24.
Industry experts warn of cascading consequences—rising operational costs for Indian carriers, potential air fare hikes, and a projected $1.8 billion annual impact if the closure persists, says IATA. Meanwhile, Mumbai is gaining prominence as a transit hub, with a 10% rise in international flight connections, though concerns over congestion loom without swift infrastructure upgrades.
Adding to the crisis, eight countries including the US, UK, and Canada have issued travel advisories for Jammu and Kashmir and border regions of Pakistan, citing heightened tensions in the region.