Longer west flights: DGCA issues ‘mandatory guidance’ for Indian carriers

NEW DELHI: Indian carriers operating flights between north India, which means primarily Delhi, and the west have been asked to inform passengers at check-in time about rerouting, longer flying time and the possibility of a enroute halt for refuelling the aircraft and crew change.Following the closure of Pakistan airspace forIndian airlines that will lead to “extended flight durations and technical stops”, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued “mandatory guidance” regarding “passenger handling measures.”
“Passengers will generally remain onboard such stops,” says the advisory issued by DGCA CFO Captain Shweta Singh. “Airlines must ensure that catering uplift is revised based on actual travel time (including technical halt). This includes: adequate meals and beverages for the full duration. Additional hydration and dry snacks. Special meals as per requests.”
Airlines have been asked to ensure the enroute technical halt airports have “emergency medical support and ground ambulance”. Cabin crew will be briefed about “passenger fatigue, discomfort, and medical incidents.”

Indian carriers that have flights between Delhi, Amritsar, Chandigarh & Lucknow and the west — UAE, CIS, West Asia, Europe, UK and North America — include Air India Group, IndiGo and SpiceJet. Akasa flies to the Gulf from Mumbai. Flights to & from the west and south, west and east India not impacted by Pakistan airspace closure.

Air India may need to take a fuelling and crew change halt for its Delhi-North America/Europe/UK flights. “Our North America nonstops may remain so or take a fuelling halt enroute depending on the conditions each day, each flight. Which means on a given day how are the wind flows and aircraft loads like, tha call will be taken,” said an AI official.
Senior pilots say they used to avoid headwinds while taking the Delhi-north Pakistan-Hindukush route to the west. This route was being taken ever since Afghan airspace was closed for civilian flights since Aug 2021 Taliban taking over that country.
Closure of Pakistan airspace means flights between north India and the west will go close to Mumbai and Ahmedabad; then turn right over the Arabian Sea to head to Muscat and then fly to their destination. “This time of the year sees strong headwinds here which we till now avoiding with the Hindukush route,” say pilots. Longer routes mean airfares for new bookings could rise by 30-40%.
The DGCA advisory has asked airlines to be prepared in terms of establishing protocols for passengers who miss their onward connections and also for “compensatory action in case of delays beyond threshold (that trigger the same).
Indian airlines are badly hit by the closure of Pakistan airspace financially. Longer routes means higher operational expenses in terms of fuel burn, alternate airport stopover, crew requirement among others. AI is the only Indian carriers that flies to North America, Europe and the UK and will find its expenses skyrocketing.

IndiGo has had to suspend its Baku and Almaty flights as the longer routes supposed to be taken now meant they became out of range for its current fleet of Airbus A320 family of planes.
Following IAF’s Balakot airstrike in 2019, Pakistan airspace was closed from Feb 27 to July 19 of that year. Indian airlines had then suffered Rs 700 crore in losses due to the same, with AI accounting for the lion’s share in this.