News

The central government is planing to deploy around 50 additional air traffic controllers (ATCs) each to be stationed at Rajkot International Airport in Hirasar, Gujarat and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai to ensure smooth operation of all international flights being diverted due to the closure of Pakistan's airspace.

"Discussions are underway. A final call on the number of controllers required will be taken based on demand," a senior government official told Moneycontrol.

Another official aware of the ongoing discussions said that around 420 air traffic controllers are stationed at the Mumbai ATC at the moment and around 150 air traffic controllers working out of Hirasar, including tower controllers, terminal controllers and en route controllers.

"Additional en route controllers are being deployed at both Mumbai and Rajkot to ensure that flights do not face any challenges when flying to international destinations and are actively monitored in case of an emergency," the second government official said.

Mumbai ATC is seeing a sharp spike in traffic volumes and is now handling an additional 120 international flights per day, rerouted from their original paths flying over Pakistan. Flights from northern Indian cities such as Delhi, Lucknow, Chandigarh, and Amritsar, which would typically overfly Lahore and Karachi, will now be rerouted southward.

Similarly, Rajkot International Airport has upgraded to 24/7 operations to accommodate emergency and technical landings necessitated by the longer flight routes. Previously operating on limited hours, Rajkot now supports airlines with round-the-clock facilities for technical and medical stops, helping to reduce delays and maintain continuity amid the airspace restrictions.

Islamabad banned flights operated by Indian carriers from using its airspace from April 24. This was in the wake of measures taken by India in response to the terrorist attack on tourists at Pahalgam on April 22 that left at least 26 dead and many others wounded.

Indian carriers are being forced to reroute international flights over Mumbai and Ahmedabad, turning over the Arabian Sea to head to Muscat, and then flying to their destination.

"All IndiGo, Akasa Air, Air India and Air India Express international flights from Delhi, Amritsar, Jaipur, Lucknow and Srinagar to countries in the Middle East including Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, countries in Eastern Europe including Turkey, Greece, Georgia, and to the US and Canada have been rerouted since April 24," a senior executive from an online travel platform told Moneycontrol.

An estimated 800 international flights of Indian airlines flew over Pakistani airspace every week in March 2025 and rerouting is becoming a complex and costly affair for them as international flights from Delhi, Amritsar, Srinagar, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Lucknow and Jaipur to cities in the Middle East are now flying an additional 15 to 45 minutes and another 1.5 hours to Europe.

Most airports in India have a wide variety of air traffic controllers including area controllers, approach controllers, aerodrome controllers or tower controllers, ground controllers, flight data, clearance controllers, ramp controllers, radar controllers and executive and planner controllers.

Tower controllers are personnel that provide air traffic control service at and in the vicinity of an aerodrome, ramp controllers and ground controllers are sub sections of tower controllers.

Approach Controllers provide air traffic control for departing and arriving flights. They are the link between the tower controllers and the area controllers. Radar controllers, flight data, clearance controllers are sub sections of approach controllers.

Similarly, Area Controller, also called en-route controller, serve the flights during the cruise phase.

Discover the latest Business News, Budget 2025 News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!

${res.must_watch_article[0].headline}

Stock Market Holiday Jammu Kashmir News Live Tim Cook Delhi Rain PM Modi on Shashi Tharoor Odisha 10th Result 2025 Ganga Expressway Indian Rupee Hyderabad Water Crisis IPL Points Table 2025

Business Markets Stocks India News City News Economy Mutual Funds Personal Finance IPO News Startups

Home Currencies Commodities Pre-Market IPO Global Market Bonds

Home Loans up to 50 Lakhs Credit Cards Lifetime Free Finance TrackerNew Fixed Deposits Fixed Deposit Comparison Fixed Income

Home MC 30 Top Ranked Funds ETFs Mutual Fund Screener

Income Tax Calculator EMI Calculator Retirement Planning Gratuity Calculator

Stock Markets

News18 Firstpost CNBC TV18 News18 Hindi Cricketnext Overdrive Topper Learning

About Us Contact Us Advisory Alert Advertise with Us SupportDisclaimer Privacy Policy Cookie Policy Terms & Conditions Financial Terms (Glossary) Sitemap Investors

You are already a Moneycontrol Pro user.