Pakistan Airspace Closure Deepens West Asia War’s Airline Impact

A war in West Asia disrupted many flight routes around India.

At the same time, Pakistan stopped Indian airlines from flying through its airspace.

This forced Indian airlines to take longer routes, use more fuel, and sometimes stop to refuel.

Flights to West Asia were also reduced because that region was affected by the conflict.

As a result, Indian airlines carried far fewer international passengers.

Foreign airlines did not face the same Pakistani airspace restriction.

Some foreign carriers even added flights using aircraft that were no longer needed on West Asian routes.

Foreign airlines therefore gained market share while Indian airlines lost it.

Akasa Air was the only Indian airline in the analysis to report higher international passenger numbers.