'India eyes China's Xinjiang air route amid Pakistan airspace closure': Aviation minister Naidu

Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian airlines following the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025. Since then, carriers operating long-haul flights from Delhi, Mumbai and other parts of northern and western India have had to take longer routes over the Arabian Sea towards Muscat.

India is exploring an alternative air corridor over China’s Xinjiang to reduce the longer flight times and higher costs faced by Indian airlines because of the continued closure of Pakistani airspace, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said on Tuesday. The proposed route would pass through Hotan in southwestern Xinjiang and could provide a shorter link for flights from northern and western India to destinations in Europe, the UK and North America.

Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian airlines following the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025. Since then, carriers operating long-haul flights from Delhi, Mumbai and other parts of northern and western India have had to take longer routes over the Arabian Sea towards Muscat.

The diversion has added between 45 minutes and two hours to some flights, increasing fuel consumption and operating costs for airlines.

“We are looking at other alternatives. Discussion on the Hotan route is going on between the two countries. Our external affairs ministry (MEA) is engaging with their country..let us see how it goes, but we are trying alternatives..” Naidu told reporters on Tuesday, according to a Hindustan Times report.

How The Proposed China Route Could Work

Under the proposed arrangement, flights from Delhi and Mumbai could travel towards Leh before entering Chinese airspace near Hotan. From there, aircraft would head towards Kyrgyzstan and connect with existing routes to Europe, the UK and North America.

“All Indian carriers from the north and north-west are following the L639 route to avoid the Pakistan airspace…. which increases their flying time by 2 hours,” a person familiar with the matter said, according to the HT report.

A second person familiar with the proposal said the route could be particularly useful for flights to Georgia, Baku, Central Asia and northern Europe.

“The route may lead to significant savings for destinations like Georgia, Baku, Central Asia, and northern Europe,” the person said, as per the report.

Air India Among Airlines Hit By Longer Routes

The prolonged closure of Pakistani airspace has been particularly costly for Air India, which operates a large number of long-haul services from its Delhi and Mumbai hubs.

Campbell Wilson, who was Air India’s chief executive in 2025, estimated that the airline had lost around ₹4,000 crore because of the closure.

However, Naidu did not give a timeline for the proposed Hotan route and did not indicate that an agreement had been reached with Beijing.

Any new corridor would require an agreement between India and China, along with coordination on air traffic management, flight procedures and other operational arrangements.

For now, discussions are continuing as India looks for ways to reduce the additional flying time and costs created by the closure of Pakistani airspace.

Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in india news and world news on Zee News.