India-Pakistan Tensions; Global Flight Routes Extended and Flights Disrupted

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - International Service: Reports indicate that major airlines such as United Airlines and Korean Airlines have made changes to their flight schedules or canceled flights. Also, about 12 airports in India were closed on Wednesday after the country attacked nine locations in Pakistan, which raised concerns about escalating tensions.

 

India claimed to have attacked terrorist infrastructure linked to the killing of tourists in Pakistani Kashmir, while Pakistan denied this claim and reported that it had shot down five Indian fighter jets.

 

Flight tracking websites show that many airlines have been diverted to Oman, the UAE and Kuwait, raising the possibility of airspace congestion in these areas. Pakistani officials have also announced that 57 international flights were in the country’s airspace at the time of the Indian attack. The Pakistani Prime Minister’s Office has assessed India’s action as a serious threat to commercial airlines in the Persian Gulf and the lives of passengers.

 

In recent days, India and Pakistan have closed their airspace to each other’s airlines, and global airlines such as Lufthansa have also avoided Pakistani airspace. Aviation consultancy OPSGROUP has warned that if the conflict continues, there is a possibility of a complete closure of Pakistani airspace, as it did between February and August 2019.

 

Domestic flights in both countries have also been disrupted. According to Flightradar24, 3% of scheduled flights in India and 17% of scheduled flights in Pakistan had been canceled by mid-Thursday. Indian airline IndiGo also announced the cancellation of 165 flights as of Saturday morning, sending its shares down 1.1%. Flights by Air India, SpiceJet and Akasa Air were also canceled.

 

Although Pakistan has said its airspace is open and its airports are operational, images from Flightradar24 show that the airspace over northwest India remains empty.

 

A spokesman for Dutch airline KLM said the airline would not fly through Pakistani airspace until further notice. Singapore Airlines has also suspended flights over Pakistani airspace since Tuesday, May 6. Korean Air has also rerouted its Seoul Incheon-Dubai flights, using a southern route that includes Myanmar, Bangladesh and India instead of Pakistan. United Airlines has also canceled its flight to Delhi due to space constraints, and American Airlines has made changes to its flight to Delhi, allowing passengers to change their plans for free. Taiwan's Thai Airways and China Airlines have also announced rerouting and disruption to their flights to European and South Asian destinations. India's flights to Europe are also being operated on longer routes.

 

The Asia-Pacific Airlines Association has expressed concern about the impact of military conflicts on airlines, citing safety concerns over GPS spoofing in conflict zones, which can divert passenger planes.