Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Indian flag carrier Air India is set to report an annual loss of at least $1.6 billion, as a deadly crash last year and Pakistan&rsquo;s continued closure of its airspace weigh on the airline&rsquo;s finances, Bloomberg reported this week. The carrier was &ldquo;on track to post a loss of at least Indian Rs150 billion [$1.6 billion]&rdquo; for the financial year ending March 31, according to Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter. Air India has remained under scrutiny since a Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed in June last year, killing more than 240 people. Operational concerns resurfaced last month when an Air India Boeing 777 returned to its origin airport after a drop in oil pressure forced pilots to shut down one of the aircraft&rsquo;s engines. Bloomberg reported that Air India had been moving toward financial stability, but said the Dreamliner crash in June &ldquo;undid years of progress.&rdquo; The airline&rsquo;s earnings were further pressured after Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian flights following clashes between the two neighbors in May last year. The restriction has since been extended on a monthly basis through notices to airmen (NOTAMs), with the latest extension in place until 5:00am on February 24. According to people familiar with the situation, the airspace closure forced Air India&rsquo;s aircraft &ldquo;to fly longer routes at higher costs to Europe and the US,&rdquo; Bloomberg reported. The crash also dented passenger confidence, contributing to what Bloomberg described as a year marked by flyer anxiety, flight delays and mass cancellations. Separately, business intelligence platform Tofler said Air India has incurred cumulative losses of Indian Rs322.1 billion ($3.51 billion) over the past three years, underscoring the scale of the challenges facing the airline as it attempts to return to profitability.

India

Air India reports cumulative losses of Rs322.1 billion over three years, while Bloomberg says a fatal June crash reverses recovery and undoes years of progress.

Crash, Pakistan airspace ban push Air India toward $1.6 billion annual loss

ISLAMABAD: Air India has asked the Indian government to press China for access to sensitive airspace in Xinjiang to help cut costs and reduce flight times, according to a company document. Indian media reported that the internal company document requests access to airspace near Hotan, Kashgar, and Urumqi in western China, which is controlled by the Chinese military. The ban was put in place after an attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir on April 22, which India blamed on Pakistan. In response, India launched missile strikes into Pakistan in early May, leading to a brief conflict between the two nuclear-armed states. It lasted four days, only ending with a ceasefire on May 10. As a result of the airspace restrictions, some Air India routes are becoming financially unsustainable. The document detailed that the airline had to suspend one of its flights to the United States. It also warned that other direct flights to US destinations are &ldquo;becoming unviable&rdquo; due to the added travel time. Many passengers have even shifted to foreign carriers that still have access to Pakistani airspace. China&rsquo;s foreign ministry has said it is unaware of the situation, according to the document. Air India is also facing significant financial pressures from international regulatory authorities after a fatal crash killed more than 200 people this year. It also faces legal and financial burdens. The airline estimates that the $455 million impact from the airspace closure is substantial, especially given that its fiscal year 2024-25 pre-tax loss was $439 million, disclosed in a written response to the Indian Parliament by the Minister of State for Civil Aviation. The national Indian carrier has requested temporary subsidies to help offset the financial impact until the Pakistani airspace is reopened, as per the document. In 2019, a similar closure of Pakistani airspace for five months cost Air India and other Indian carriers at least $64 million, according to the Indian government.

As a result of the airspace restrictions, some Air India routes are becoming financially unsustainable. 

Air India seeks sensitive Chinese airspace as Pakistan ban costs mount

NEW DELHI: The father of one of the pilots of June&#39;s deadly Air India crash has asked India&#39;s top court for an independent investigation, saying the official probe unfairly blamed the crew. A total of 241 people on board the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner were killed when the plane crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad in western India on June 12. Another 19 people were killed on the ground. A preliminary investigation report by India&#39;s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said fuel to the jet&#39;s engines was cut off moments before impact. Pushkaraj Sabharwal, 91, the father of deceased pilot Sumeet Sabharwal, claimed in his petition that the preliminary AAIB investigation was &quot;profoundly flawed&quot;. The AAIB report in July did not offer any conclusions or apportion blame for the disaster, but indicated that one pilot asked the other why he had cut off fuel and that the second pilot responded that he had not. The investigation appears to &quot;predominantly focus on the deceased pilots, who are no longer able to defend themselves, while failing to examine or eliminate other more plausible technical and procedural causes of the crash&quot;, the petition read. Sabharwal&#39;s petition was filed on October 9 and seen by AFP on Thursday. It was unclear when the court would respond. Two major Indian commercial pilots&#39; associations have already rejected claims that human error had caused the crash. The Airline Pilots&#39; Association of India has accused the AAIB of &quot;secrecy&quot; surrounding the investigation. Indian authorities have rejected suggestions of any manipulation in the investigation, which is yet to submit its final report.

The father of a pilot killed in June’s Air India crash has petitioned India’s Supreme Court for an independent probe, alleging the official investigation unfairly blamed the crew and ignored possible technical failures

Articles tagged with "Air India Crash"

Crash, Pakistan airspace ban push Air India toward $1.6 billion annual loss

Air India seeks sensitive Chinese airspace as Pakistan ban costs mount

Father of Air India crash pilot seeks independent probe