Friendly gains: Airspace coordination in India helps airlines save big

Since Dec 2020, savings of airlines have been over Rs 200 crore

Coordination between defence and civilian authorities has freed up airspace for commercial airlines in India, resulting in routes becoming shorter and costs coming down, apart from mitigating pollution.

“Due to various restrictions of the military, only about 58 per cent of the Indian airspace was being utilised. It is close to 70 per cent now,” said an official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

Officials of the AAI said to date 119 routes had been shortened. Sources said since December 2020 the cumulative savings of airlines had been close to Rs 200 crore while there was a reduction in emission of