Airlines Cancel Flights Amid India-Pakistan Clashes
Airlines are scrambling to cancel, reroute, or divert flights due to clashes between India and Pakistan. The neighbors exchanged heavy artillery fire along their disputed frontier after India launched missile strikes in retaliation for a deadly attack last month.
Here’s a round-up of what airlines are doing to avoid flying over the conflict zone:
-
South Korea: Korean Air has begun rerouting its flights from Seoul Incheon to Dubai, using a southern route that passes over Myanmar, Bangladesh, and India, instead of the previous path through Pakistani airspace. "We are currently monitoring the situation for further changes," a Korean Air official told AFP.
-
Taiwan: China Airlines said several flights have been diverted or cancelled. Two flights from Taipei to Frankfurt and Amsterdam "made a technical diversion to Bangkok" before returning to the Taiwanese capital. Three flights from Taipei to Prague, Rome, and London were cancelled on Tuesday and Wednesday.
-
Russia: Russian national carrier Aeroflot said all its flights from Moscow to and from India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and the Seychelles would be rerouted.
-
Singapore: Singapore Airlines said its flights have been rerouted to avoid Pakistani airspace.
-
Malaysia: Malaysia Airlines rerouted two flights from Kuala Lumpur — one to London Heathrow and one to Paris Charles de Gaulle. They stopped in Doha before continuing their journeys. The carrier also suspended all flights to and from India’s Amritsar until May 9.
-
Thailand: Thai Airways said it was rerouting flights to destinations in Europe and South Asia from 5:00 am on Wednesday (2200 GMT Tuesday) to avoid Pakistani airspace, warning of possible delays. At least eight flights to European cities were affected, while a return flight scheduled to go from Bangkok to Islamabad and back again on Wednesday was cancelled.
-
France: Air France said its planes would avoid flying over Pakistan until further notice and warned this would mean longer flight times for services to Delhi, Bangkok, and Ho Chi Minh City.
- Sri Lanka: Sri Lankan Airlines said its flights were unaffected and there is no change to its four weekly flights to Pakistan’s Lahore and Karachi.
