India wants its airlines to fly over Hotan in China’s Xinjiang region. Here is why the route matters and what stands in the way.

Pakistan has barred Indian aircraft from its airspace since April 2025, recently extending the ban to October 24. Westbound flights from Delhi now take long detours, adding hours of flying time and crores in fuel costs.

Hotan sits north of Pakistan and could give Indian carriers a shorter westward path. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu confirmed talks are under way, with the foreign ministry engaging Beijing. Sources say discussions have run for over a year.

The talks follow warmer India-China aviation ties. China Southern resumed Guangzhou-Delhi flights on September 21, IndiGo restarted Kolkata-Guangzhou in October 2025, and Air India resumed Delhi-Shanghai in February. Any Hotan corridor still needs a formal bilateral overflight agreement before the first plane can use it.

Pakistan’s ban has also affected Pakistani carriers, which cannot use Indian airspace either. Aviation experts say the standoff has added heavy extra fuel costs for airlines on both sides.