Air India losing Rs 3 cr daily as Pak airspace closure ups flight time

A two-hour increase in flying time and a forced halt at Sharjah for its US-bound flights has spiked fuel burn and ground handling charges

Air India is incurring a loss of around Rs three crore a day on its Europe and US flights due to the closure of Pakistan airspace, a senior airline official said on Thursday. Last Wednesday, Pakistan closed its airspace to all flights over its territory, forcing airlines from India and other countries to take a detour. This has led to an increase in flight duration and has also put a strain on air traffic controllers in Mumbai, who are working extra shifts to handle the increase in traffic.

On Friday, Pakistan's civil aviation authority extended the closure by another day