News
Air India asks government help to fly over Xinjiang to ease pressure of Pakistani ban
November 20th 2025
Air India is lobbying the Indian government to convince China to let it use a sensitive airspace zone in Xinjiang to shorten routes, Reuters exclusively reports. Read More » The move comes as the financial toll from a ban on Indian carriers flying over Pakistan mounts, a document shows. For the carrier, the fuel costs have risen by as much as 29% and journey times by up to three hours on some long-haul routes, according to the previously unreported document submitted to Indian officials in late October and reviewed by Reuters. The Indian government is reviewing Air India’s plea to diplomatically ask China to allow an alternative routing and emergency access to airports in case of diversions at Hotan, Kashgar, and Urumqi in Xinjiang, aiming to reach the U.S., Canada, and Europe faster, the document said. "Air India’s long-haul network is under severe operational and financial strain ... Securing the Hotan route will be a strategic option," it added. Chinese airspace, which Air India is seeking to access, is ringed by some of the world’s highest mountains and is avoided by international airlines due to potential safety risks in case of a decompression incident. More critically, it is a sensitive military zone equipped with extensive missile, drone, and air-defence assets and shares some airports with civilian aircraft, military analysts told Reuters. With no signs of airspace ban easing, Air India also wants "temporary subsidy till Pakistan airspace opens", the document said.
