The escalating tensions between Iran and Israel are casting ripples across international aviation. Indian travelers flying to America and Europe are experiencing up to 45 extra minutes of flight time, as routes swerve to avoid Iranian airspace. This shift not only extends travel distance but the prolonged duration may consequently lead to an uptick in airfares.
Potential Hikes in Airfare Rates
Officials from a leading domestic airline disclosed to Business Today that the cost of flights from India to destinations like the USA, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East might witness a surge. They noted that the necessity of elongated routes could intensify fuel consumption and inflate tickets.
Facing 15 to 45 Minutes Longer on Journeys
As per India Today's Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) team, analysis of flight tracking data reveals that since April 13, flights between Delhi, Mumbai, and key cities like London, Paris, Frankfurt, and New York have been taking an extra 15 to 45 minutes. Post-Iran's attacks on Israel, traversing times have soared. For instance, Vistara's Mumbai-Paris non-stop flight, UK23, usually averaging 8:59 hours, saw an increase of 48 minutes on April 13 and of 40 minutes on April 14.
The Paris-Delhi direct flight UK22 on April 13 took 8:21 hours and on April 14, it clocked in at 8:19 hours to reach its destination, exceeding its average duration of 7:47 hours. A similar trend was recorded for Air India's Mumbai to London flight AIC131, which generally took 9:15 hours to fly via the Iranian corridor. Yet, on April 14, it lengthened by 19 minutes and by 33 minutes on April 15 as the aircraft rerouted through Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. Flights from Delhi and Mumbai to New York also encountered delays.
Vistara Airline assures in a statement that they maintain emergency routes in readiness for such eventualities. Even during the current Iran-Israel conflict, these contingencies are being employed, though extended travel on certain routes remains possible.
While Tehran has not completely closed its airspace to commercial flights, several international airline operators have decided to avoid traversing through it.
