Travel Time and Fuel Cost Increases as Airlines to and from India Avoid Afghanistan Airspace

Owing to recent developments, the Kabul FIR (Afghanistan airspace) which serves major traffic flows between Europe and Asia, is now without provision of a civilian Air Traffic Service. Airlines have advised IATA that they are avoiding the airspace. While traffic through Afghan airspace was anyways lower than usual because of the reduced demand due to COVID-19, many west-bound flights originating from India were using the airspace.

As per IATA, states near Afghanistan have indicated they can accommodate additional traffic. The use of alternative routes through these states will support safe and secure operations, but will have time, operational and fuel impacts upon airlines.

Almost all major airlines are rerouting flights to avoid Afghanistan airspace after insurgents took control of the presidential palace in Kabul as U.S.-led forces departed and nations scrambled to evacuate their citizens.United Airlines, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic said they were not using the country's airspace.

A United spokeswoman said the change affects several of the airline's U.S.-to-India flights. Airlines and governments have paid more attention to the risks of flying over conflict zones in recent years after two deadly incidents involving surface-to-air missiles.

Here’s a list of airlines who are avoiding Afgan airspace for time being and have diverted all their flights:

Air India

Two Air India flights — one from San Francisco to Delhi and another from Chicago to Delhi — were diverted to Sharjah to avoid the Afghan airspace, senior officials stated. Both the planes were refuelled at the Sharjah airport before they departed for Delhi.

United Airlines

The New York-Mumbai flight of United Airlines had to take a different and longer route than usual to avoid the Afghan airspace.

Vistara

According to a spokesperson of Vistara, which operates four weekly flights on the Delhi-London route, the airline has stopped using the Afghan airspace and is taking an alternate route for its flights to and from London’s Heathrow airport.

Terra Avia

Terra Avia’s flight from Azerbaijan’s Baku to Delhi entered the Afghan airspace but quickly took a U-turn and decided to avoid it by flying around it.

British Airways

British Airways, which operates flights between India and the UK, announced on Sunday that it will avoid the Afghan airspace.

With inputs from agencies

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