India Looks to China for a Way Around Pakistan’s Airspace Closure

Photo Credit: A flight en route. Pixabay from Pexels With the Pakistan airspace still closed for Indian carriers, India is now negotiating with China for a workaround. The government is in talks to allow Indian aircraft to use airspace over Xinjiang, potentially opening a new route for flights heading from India toward Europe and North America, Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, told reporters on Tuesday. The discussions have been underway for more than a year, with a possible route over Hotan, a city in south Xinjiang, being considered. Pakistan sits directly along some of the most efficient westbound paths from northern India. Before the closure, airlines could fly north and west through Pakistani airspace before continuing toward Europe, North America, and other destinations. Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian carriers in April 2025, after relations between the two countries deteriorated following the Pahalgam att