ISLAMABAD – Air India appealed to Indian government to secure access to one of Beijing’s most heavily guarded military air corridors in Xinjiang, an area controlled by People’s Liberation Army and surrounded by towering Himalayan peaks.
Air India’s plea comes as Air India faces financial and operational crisis triggered by Pakistan’s sudden closure of its airspace to Indian carriers earlier this year. The fallout has been devastating: flight times stretched by hours, fuel costs soaring nearly 30percent, and once-profitable long-haul routes pushed to the brink of collapse.
Air India is losing an estimated $455 million a year due to the ban, more than the airline’s entire loss for previous fiscal year. Some marquee routes, including direct flights to San Francisco and Washington, are now so inefficient they risk being shut down altogether.
The airline warns that without access to the Hotan air corridor in China, an area so sensitive that no foreign airline has operated there in the past 12 months, major international services may become “unviable.”
The flag carrier of India wants no ordinary detour. Located in mountains soaring above 20,000 feet and controlled by China’s formidable Western Theatre Command, the area is packed with missile systems, drones, and joint-use military airports.
Pakistan closed its airspace to all Indian aircrafts, including Air India, after May clashes. The ban, imposed through a NOTAM in late April 2025, forces Indian airlines to take longer reroutes around Pakistani territory, sharply increasing flight times and fuel costs.
Air India alone incurred losses of about INR8.2 billion in 40 days, while Islamabad also suffered financially, losing over INR1,240 crore in missed overflight fees. The disruption has led to route changes and even suspension of some long-haul services such as Air India’s Delhi–Washington, D.C. flights.
Air India suffers 200mn Indian rupee loss per day as Pakistan shuts airspace
