Mumbai ATC reports surge in traffic as flights avoid Pakistani airspace

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Mumbai Air Traffic Control (ATC) has experienced a surge in traffic, after international flights were rerouted due to the closure of Pakistani airspace since last month, sources said.

Apart from handling Europe, North and South America-bound flights originating from Mumbai, the ATC is now also handling aircraft flying towards these regions from Northern India, the sources added.

Pakistan shut its airspace for Indian airlines on April 24 in response to India's diplomatic measures against the neighbouring country following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22 that killed at least 26 people. 

On April 30, India also shut its airspace to Pakistan airlines as part of the retaliatory measure. On a normal day, Mumbai ATC handles between 950-970 arrivals and departures, including unscheduled flights, apart from some 2,000 flights overflying Mumbai skies, as per sources.

"Some 130 flights from Northern India for destinations in Europe, North and South America would take the Bhopal-Ahmedabad-Karachi route to Muscat, without touching Mumbai airspace, from where they would enter Europe. Now, after the closure of the Pakistani airspace, all these flights are coming to Mumbai airspace via Ahmedabad to enter Muscat," said a source.

In addition to this, according to sources, some 250 flights originating from South East Asia for the Middle East, Europe and South and North America are also now going via Mumbai (airspace) to avoid Pakistani airspace. 

The traffic has also spiked on account of the recent closure of about 25 flight routes on Wednesday that allow planes to enter Pakistan through the Indian airspace, when the armed forces launched missile attacks on terror targets in Pakistan, as per sources.

"Some foreign airlines are now filing a revised flight plan, wherein they are flying via Mumbai (airspace) after the closure of these 25 routes," said the source, adding that even chartered flight operators flying internationally are avoiding Pakistani airspace due to the prevailing situation.

Against the backdrop of rising tensions between the two countries, many foreign airlines have been avoiding the Pakistani airspace.