Islamabad, May 6 (UNI) Amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, international airlines are avoiding using the Pakistani airspace for travel, following the Pahalgam massacre which led to 26 tourist casualties.
Air France said it has suspended flights over Islamabad’s airspace until further notice because of the “recent evolution of tensions between India and Pakistan”, in a statement to CNN.
The airline is “adapting its flight schedule and flight plans to and from certain destinations", the French flag carrier said, adding some routes will require longer flight times.
Germany’s flag carrier Lufthansa confirmed its avoidance of Pakistani airspace until further notice.
However, flight tracking data showed some flights of British Airways, Swiss International Air Lines and Emirates turning north towards Delhi in order to avoid Pakistani airspace, after travelling over the Arabian Sea.
British Airways and Emirates did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“The airline has decided to suspend overflight of Pakistan until further notice,” Air France said in a statement, citing the “recent evolution of tensions” between India and Pakistan.
The carrier said it was altering its flight schedule and flight plans with destinations such as Delhi, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh, entailing longer flight times, reports Dawn.
The Pahalgam terrorist attack has dealt another strong blow to international air travel, as flights have already become difficult due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, and the Israel-Hamas war. The new India-Pakistan tensions have further exacerbated the situation, as airlines are forced to take longer routes and burn more fuel, making flights more expensive, time-consuming, and dangerous.
As of now, both countries have closed their airspaces for each other. Retaliating to the terror strike, New Delhi undertook several punitive measures. This includes closing the only land border at Attari, blocking all trade with Pakistan, thinning its diplomatic staff, suspending the Indus Water Treaty, and has been actively pressuring global bodies such as the IMF to suspend aid to a near-bankrupt Pakistan.
In response, Pakistan has been flexing its muscles by conducting missile tests in a case of reckless provocation, engaging in military cross-border firing, and frantically intensifying naval exercises in the Arabian Sea.
Recently, India has amped up its militarisation of Jammu & Kashmir, cut off water flow of the Chenab River into Pakistan, and is now conducting security mock drills across all states and union territories in a mammoth exercise covering 244 districts on orders of the Home Ministry. Such an exercise has not been seen since the Kargil War in 1999.
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