Jet Fuel, Deadlines, and Diplomacy: Inside Air India’s Struggle to Stay Aloft Amid Airspace Turmoil

Air India has been granted a temporary waiver from normal pilot rest and duty rules for ultra-long-haul flights, as the airline struggles with severe disruptions due to Pakistan's continuing airspace closure. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) approved the waiver for a fortnight period from April 30, on 28 major flights to cities like Washington DC, New York, San Francisco, Newark, Chicago, and Toronto. The decision is designed to preserve Air India's overseas connectivity even as the sudden imperative of longer, more roundabout flight routes.

 

With Pakistani airspace out of bounds, Air India's North Indian flights to Europe and North America now take a detour south of Ahmedabad and the Arabian Sea before turning westward. This diversion involves technical en route stops at Vienna or Copenhagen, adding fuel and engineering expenses. The longer routes have also extended pilots' duty hours by approximately two hours, with ultra-long-haul crews now having up to 24 hours on duty. Pilots say they are more fatigued because interrupted in-flight rest is caused by more landings and take-offs at technical stops, which decrease rest opportunities.

 

Air India puts its additional cost at as much as $600 million if the airspace ban lasts for a year, and the carrier requests compensation from the government to reimburse the economic loss. DGCA's exemption is a stopgap arrangement to maintain critical overseas routes open until the impasse lasts.

 

Source: Economic Times