Asian Airlines Change Flights Amid India-Pakistan Tensions

TAIPEI/NEW DELHI, May 7 (Reuters) – Several Asian airlines, including Taiwan‘s China Airlines and Korean Air, announced on Wednesday that they are re-routing or cancelling flights to and from Europe due to escalating military tensions between India and Pakistan. The situation intensified following an attack by India against Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir, which led Pakistan to claim it shot down five Indian fighter jets.

The conflict stems from a recent attack by Islamist militants in Indian Kashmir that killed 26 people last month. In response, India carried out strikes against targets in Pakistani territory, prompting immediate safety concerns for commercial airlines.

Flight-tracking data revealed a significant reduction in civilian aircraft in the northwestern airspace over India and in Pakistani airspace. A spokesperson for Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that India’s military actions “caused grave danger” to commercial airlines, particularly those based in Gulf countries.

As tensions mounted, both countries closed their airspace to each other’s airlines, prompting disruptions to domestic flights. India’s largest airline, IndiGo, announced the cancellation of 165 flights until at least Saturday, with its shares falling 1.1%. Other Indian carriers, including Air India, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air, also cancelled numerous flights.

Global airlines such as Lufthansa and KLM have been avoiding Pakistani airspace. A KLM spokesperson indicated that the airline would not operate flights over Pakistan until further notice. Singapore Airlines also suspended its operations in Pakistani airspace on May 6.

To adapt to the situation, Korean Air began rerouting its Seoul Incheon–Dubai flights to take a southern route over Myanmar and India instead of passing through Pakistan. Similarly, Thai Airways stated that its flights to Europe and South Asia would be rerouted as of early Wednesday morning.

Airlines are closely monitoring the situation. The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines expressed concerns about ongoing conflicts’ impact on aviation safety, specifically highlighting risks such as GPS spoofing, which can significantly disrupt flight operations.

As of now, while some flights are still operating, it remains unclear when normal operations will resume. The latest delays and route adjustments will likely complicate operations further across the Middle East and South Asia regions.