IndiGo Suspends Flights to Almaty and Tashkent Until June 14 Amid Rerouting Challenges

IndiGo Halts Flights to Almaty and Tashkent Until June 14 Over Airspace and Aircraft Limitations.

IndiGo has extended the suspension of its direct flights to Almaty and Tashkent until June 14, as ongoing airspace restrictions have made the routes too long for its current aircraft to handle non-stop. The airline had originally paused these services until May 7 but says the situation hasn’t improved.

Since Pakistan shut its airspace to Indian carriers on April 24, airlines flying west have had to take longer, more complicated routes. For IndiGo, which uses narrow-body Airbus aircraft on these flights, the new flight paths are simply too long to operate without a stop — something the airline can’t accommodate at the moment.

“With the current restrictions and limited options for rerouting, Almaty and Tashkent are unfortunately beyond the flying range of our fleet,” an airline official said.

The airline had been operating daily flights to both cities from Delhi before the disruptions began. After the initial suspension, IndiGo reviewed the situation but has now decided to keep the routes grounded for at least another month.

Back on April 25, IndiGo warned that about 50 of its international flights might face longer routes and possible schedule changes because of the closure. The flights to Almaty were cancelled from April 27, and to Tashkent from April 28.

The airspace restrictions came in the wake of a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people. In response, India launched retaliatory strikes, prompting Pakistan to close its skies to Indian flights. India later responded by barring Pakistani carriers from using Indian airspace on April 30.

Just this week, Indian forces launched “Operation Sindoor,” striking terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. With tensions still running high, flight disruptions like these may continue for some time.