Since the Afghan airspace closed itself in August 2021 for foreign commercial aircraft, the travel time for nonstop flights between India and North America, mainly from Delhi to New York, Newark and Chicago, had been over 16.5 hours. The longer route that the flights had taken to reach their destinations in the USA and Canada until December 16 increased not only the flying time, but also the burning of jet fuel. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi traveling on Air India One – the official aircraft for Indian VVIPs’ foreign trips – to Washington DC in September was not immune to the impact of the Afghan airspace closure.
Since December 16, 2021, flying straight over the Hindu Kush range of the Himalayas has cut the travel time short by one hour for Air India flights to USA and Canada from New Delhi. The Hindu Kush range is home to lofty mountain peaks including Tirich Mir (7780 meters). Due to the new routing over the snow-capped Himalayan peaks, Air India’s Delhi to…
