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Time of India
02-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
International flyer footfall at Kolkata airport back to normal after conflict blip
Representative Image KOLKATA: International passenger footfall at Kolkata airport has bounced back after a sudden four-day slump in June caused by the closure of airspace over Middle East after Iran launched a missile strike on US air bases in Qatar and Iraq on June 23. Qatar, UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait had scrambled to close their airspace that left all West-bound flights from hubs in the Gulf stranded. According to airport officials, Kolkata's international flyer count dipped sharply between June 23 and June 26. However, as ceasefire talks between Iran and Israel brought back some stability to the region and airspace restrictions were lifted, flight schedules returned to normal, taking the footfall back to the daily average of around 6,500. 'All onward flights from the region — including those of Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Etihad — were disrupted due to the airspace closure. These carriers handle the bulk of West-bound traffic from Kolkata,' said Kolkata airport director Pravat Ranjan Beuria. 'Now that flight movement has resumed, we are seeing the numbers return to their usual levels.' You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata While the availability of flights was a major concern, many travellers also cancelled bookings owing to the conflict. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Esta nueva alarma con cámara es casi regalada en Puerto La Plata (ver precio) Verisure Más información Undo According to travel industry sources, about 30% of flyers booked for early last week cancelled their trips. Data shared by airport sources show that as many as 6,664 international passengers travelled via Kolkata on June 21 aboard 43 flights, and 6,705 passengers on 45 flights on June 22. On June 23, however, numbers dropped to 5,254, with only 39 flights plying. The next day, the count slid further to 4,655 on 35 flights. This slide continued till June 26. Once the crisis passed and a ceasefire was announced, flight operations picked up pace. By June 28, passenger volume was 6,496 over 42 flights. On June 29, it climbed to 6,503 across 45 international flights, close to the regular average. For Kolkata, which has no direct flights to the US or Europe, the halt in transit services through Middle-East hubs proved critical. According to chairman of Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), eastern region, Anjani Dhanuka, about 500 passengers travel daily from Kolkata to Europe and the US via hubs like Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. 'When the airspace was closed, those journeys were either cancelled or indefinitely postponed. Now that the flights are back on schedule, we are not seeing any fresh cancellations.' 'The initial wave of cancellations was a knee-jerk reaction to the geopolitical flare-up,' said Anil Punjabi, national executive committee member of the Travel Agents Federation of India. 'But people still see air travel as the most reliable mode, especially for long-haul business and education travel. Businessmen who postponed trips to the US and Europe have now rescheduled their plans and are back in the air. ' Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Doctor's Day 2025 , messages and quotes!
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Business Standard
24-06-2025
- Business Standard
West Asia conflict sends India tourists to safer Southeast destinations
Online travel portals, tour operators, agents have reported a sharp rise in rescheduling over the past few days, with 25-30% of Indian travellers postponing or altering plans to Western destinations Gulveen Aulakh New Delhi Listen to This Article Indian leisure and business travellers are deferring or cancelling trips to West Asia, Europe, and the United States (US) amid heightened regional tensions following the Israel-Iran war that also affected Qatar and prompted airspace closures across several Gulf nations, disrupting one of the world's busiest travel corridors. Online travel portals, tour operators, and agents have reported a sharp rise in rescheduling over the past few days, with 25-30 per cent of Indian travellers postponing or altering plans to Western destinations. They are increasingly choosing Southeast Asian countries —Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia — over West-bound destinations, with a spike
News18
30-04-2025
- Business
- News18
600 Indian Flights Diverted In 5 Days Due To Pakistan Airspace Closure After Pahalgam: Report
Last Updated: Following the closure of Pakistan's airspace following the Pahalgam terror attack, Indian flights have been forced to take longer alternative routes, raising fuel costs. In the wake of the barbaric terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22, India imposed a series of measures downgrading ties with Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. Pakistan responded by suspending trade and closing its airspace for Indian airlines, forcing them to divert. Around 600 West-bound international flights of Indian airlines have been forced to divert in the first five days since Pakistan's move on April 24, while 120 flights have had to make an extra stop to refuel while flying to Europe, North America and other destinations, according to News18′ s sister publication The report cited data shared by online travel agents and flight tracking platforms. Indian airlines are forced to reroute international flights over Mumbai and Ahmedabad, turning over the Arabian Sea to head to Muscat, and then flying to their destination. As of March 2025, Indian airlines operated around 800 international flights per week that relied on Pakistani airspace. With recent disruptions, rerouting these flights has become increasingly complicated and expensive. Routes originating from cities like Delhi, Amritsar, Srinagar, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, and Jaipur — especially those bound for the Middle East — are now taking 15 to 45 minutes longer. Flights heading to Europe are facing even steeper delays, with extended durations of up to 1.5 hours. 'All IndiGo, Akasa Air, Air India and Air India Express international flights from Delhi, Amritsar, Jaipur, Lucknow and Srinagar to countries in the Middle East including Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, countries in Eastern Europe including Turkey, Greece, Georgia, and to the US and Canada have been rerouted since April 24," a senior executive from an online travel platform told Linus Bauer, founder and managing director of UAE-based consultancy BAA & Partners, said if Pakistan's airspace closure continues over a month, the financial impact on Indian airlines could be in the range of $10-15 million, including direct operational costs such as fuel and crew overtime plus indirect revenue losses, reduced cargo capacity and schedule unreliability. Financial Impact On Indian Airlines Explaining how the airspace closure would impact India, Bauer said additional cost per flight could go as high as $1,350 to $3,000 as planes fly longer distances. As the airspace closure persists, airline costs are bound to rise and could result in higher airfares. Furthermore, airlines from other countries can continue to overfly Pakistan, possibly giving them an advantage in terms of costs over their Indian counterparts on the affected routes. This situation is reminiscent of the 2019 airspace closure by Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack on Indian Army personnel. According to the then-aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Indian carriers lost over Rs 540 crore between February 26 and July 2, 2019. State-owned Air India had incurred a loss of Rs 491 crore alone. India Mulling To Close Airspace For Pakistani Carriers Meanwhile, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said that it is working with Indian airlines to get a better assessment of the impact of Pakistani airspace closure, and to work out the best possible solutions for both passengers and carriers. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation had issued an advisory to airlines focusing on passenger communication and comfort. Meanwhile, India is considering closing its airspace to Pakistani carriers in a retaliatory move following Islamabad's decision to block Indian airlines from its airspace, which would force Pakistani airlines to reroute their flights over China or Sri Lanka to reach Southeast Asian destinations like Kuala Lumpur. Many of Pakistan's commercial flights to the Gulf, Southeast Asia, and beyond, including key routes such as Karachi to Kuala Lumpur or Dubai, rely heavily on access to Indian airspace. If India were to shut its skies, these flights would be forced to reroute over Iran, Afghanistan, or Central Asian countries – regions that pose both geopolitical and logistical risks. First Published:
