Indian regulators and carriers are in discussions with Chinese counterparts to open an alternate routing corridor through Chinese airspace, sources told NDTV, as the indefinite closure of Pakistani airspace for Indian-registered aircraft continues to reshape commercial operations across the subcontinent.

The talks, which the sources described as preliminary, focus on eastbound tracks from Indian gateways toward Northeast Asia, Central Asia and parts of the European market — segments that today require either extended southern routings over the Bay of Bengal or layering of multiple Flight Information Regions, each carrying its own overflight charges.

What does the Pakistan airspace ban mean for Indian carriers?

Pakistan has restricted Indian overflights for a sustained period, forcing the country's flag carrier and largest low-cost operator to reroute widebody services away from the western corridor. Air India and IndiGo operate the bulk of Indian-registered widebody capacity, including Boeing 777s and the Airbus A350-900 fleet IndiGo has begun taking into service.

Longer routings translate directly into higher block times, increased fuel uplift and, on weight-restricted services, reduced payload — a combination that compresses margins on long-haul sectors already under pressure from oil price volatility and capacity additions.

Which markets are most affected?

The eastern corridor under discussion would primarily serve traffic between Indian points and:

• Northeast Asia (Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, Shanghai)
• Southeast Asia via Chinese rather than Burmese FIR
• Central Asia and Russian entry points (Almaty, Moscow)
• Selected European destinations via Chinese overflight

The arrangement does not substitute for the closed Pakistani tracks to the Middle East, Western Europe or North America, which would still require either southern ocean routings or transpolar tracks. The expected value is diversification rather than replacement — a second viable path, particularly from southern Indian gateways such as Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

What is the diplomatic backdrop?

India and China restored direct flights between the two countries in late 2023 after a multi-year suspension tied to the eastern Ladakh military standoff. Civil aviation authorities from both sides have since reviewed air services agreement terms, providing a framework in which any new overflight arrangement could be negotiated. Sources did not name officials involved, nor did they specify whether the discussions cover overflight only or include technical stops at Chinese airports.

How would fees be set?

Foreign overflight charges apply per kilometer flown in each sovereign FIR. Any new bilateral arrangement with Beijing would set fee schedules alongside route access, with carriers negotiating on the basis of distance and traffic volumes. Lower cumulative charges on recurring sectors would directly benefit operators running narrowbody international networks through Southeast Asia, where routing alternatives already exist through Burmese, Laotian and Thai airspace.

What changes operationally and what stays the same?

An India–China corridor would shorten block times on eastbound and northbound sectors and offer a more direct track to markets where Indian carriers are building presence. It would not, however, unlock the more lucrative westbound flows to London, Paris and Frankfurt that depend on either restored Pakistani overflight rights or extended southern routings via the Indian Ocean.

Until the Pakistani closure eases or the Chinese arrangement is finalized, Indian carriers continue to absorb the cost through route planning, higher fuel uplift and selective payload reductions. The diplomatic channel now open with Beijing suggests New Delhi is treating the routing constraint strategically rather than as a transient nuisance — and that, for the moment, Chinese airspace is the next consequential variable in the subcontinent's long-haul economics.