ABU DHABI, June 26 (Gulf News): Airfare and flight times are expected to go up following a decision by a number of airlines to reroute their flights to bypassing the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.
Airlines from both India and the UAE announced their decision to reroute their planes after a US drone was shot down by the Iranian security forces on Thursday, sparking concerns about a threat to the safety of commercial airlines.
"These changes will cause delays on some departures from Abu Dhabi, due to increased congestion in available airspace, and will increase journey times on some routes," Etihad said in a statement.
On Friday, Emirates airline also said that in light of the current situation, the airline has taken precautionary measures, including rerouting all flights away from areas of possible conflict.
Reacting to the announcement of airlines to reroute their flights over Iranian space, Mark Martin, aviation expert and founder of Martin Consulting, said the ticket fares would go up by at least $300 to $400 and flying time would increase by more than one hour.
"This is not going to be positive for the aviation industry and will put sever pressure on the finances of airline companies hitting their bottom line revenues. A number of airlines have to reroute their flight path, which increases travel time from east to west or west to east," he said.
"The development comes during the peak holiday season with people making preparations to fly and this is not good."
In similar comments, Mohan Ranganathan, a former commercial pilot and an aviation safety consultant based in India said, "The economic impact will be huge. The fuel costs will skyrocket and additional flying time will mess up crew rosters. More important is the danger of fatigue for overworked crew."
