Air India Flights To UK, North America To Fly Over Hindu Kush For The First Time

In order to cut down the rather long travel time, Air India is planning to fly over the mighty Hindu Kush range for the first time.

This comes due to the closure of Afghan airspace that has disrupted air routes around the world has subsequently increased the travel time of direct nonstop Air India flights between Delhi and the UK and Delhi and North America.

Air India will deploy its Boeing 777s and 787s which will fly over the Tirich Mir (7,780 meters), the world’s highest peak outside the Himalaya-Karakoram range.

Since mid-August nonstop flights to the aforementioned destinations have taken the longer route via south Pakistan below Afghanistan and then via Iran-Turkey instead of the usual Pakistan-Afghanistan-Turkmenistan/Uzbekistan route.

Less Travel Time

Report citing sources close to the matter stated that the flying time of North American flights will come down by up to 40 minutes and for the UK the time will be down by 20 minutes, which is almost as long as the Afghanistan route.

The source added that on a return journey from North America, the aircraft will save four tons of fuel. The UK flight on the other hand will save 2.5-tonnes of fuel.

Carrying less fuel in flight also means that the payload can be increased in terms of passengers and/or cargo. For the high terrain route, Air India has prepared through extra simulator drills, trial runs, and special precautions.

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