Now Reading: India in talks with China for Xinjiang air route amid Pakistan ban
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India in talks with China for Xinjiang air route amid Pakistan ban
India is holding diplomatic-level talks with China to open an alternative air corridor over Hotan in Xinjiang province, civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu said on Tuesday. The proposed route would…
India is holding diplomatic-level talks with China to open an alternative air corridor over Hotan in Xinjiang province, civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu said on Tuesday. The proposed route would let Indian airlines flying from Delhi and Mumbai head towards Leh, enter Chinese airspace near Hotan, turn toward Kyrgyzstan, and then connect to routes for Europe, the UK and North America.
Pakistan has kept its airspace closed to Indian-registered aircraft and Indian airline flights since April 2025 after the Pahalgam attack. The closure, extended until October 24, 2026, has added 45 minutes to two hours of flying time on long-haul services, increasing fuel costs and operational expenses. Air India's former CEO Campbell Wilson estimated the airline lost Rs 4,000 crore due to the closure. The external affairs ministry is engaging with Chinese counterparts, though Naidu gave no timeline for an agreement.
Indian Opinion Analysis
All four sources report the same facts: India is pursuing a Hotan air corridor through China, and Pakistan's airspace ban has cost Air India an estimated Rs 4,000 crore. NDTV Profit leads with talks having been underway for over a year, framing the story as a long-running diplomatic effort. Times Now and Hindustan Times add detail on the flight-time savings and the Pakistan NOTAM extension. Livemint provides the fullest financial context, including Air India's FY26 net loss of Rs 15,368 crore and IndiGo's loss of Rs 2,394 crore. The coverage is uniformly straight reporting with no editorial slant. The key number to track is whether the external affairs ministry can secure Chinese military approval for the corridor, a step no source reports as imminent.
The key number to track is whether the external affairs ministry can secure Chinese military approval for the corridor, a step no source reports as imminent.
Coverage: 4 sources, 4 neutral
Sources (4): ndtvprofit.com (neutral report), timesnownews.com (neutral report), hindustantimes.com (neutral report), livemint.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 4 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry.
