Flights hit after India strikes on Pakistan areas
Flights to India and Pakistan were disrupted following India launching strikes on Pakistan and Pakistani-administered Kashmir in the early hours of Wednesday morning in response to a deadly militant attack on tourists in Kashmir just over two weeks ago.
Pakistan has called this a "blatant act of war" as tensions escalate between the nuclear-armed arch rivals.
The divided Himalayan region is claimed by both India and Pakistan in its entirety.
India said its Operation Sindoor struck nine Pakistani sites on Wednesday that were "terrorist infrastructure" where attacks against it were orchestrated.
Islamabad has said six Pakistani locations were targeted, and a total of 24 impacts felt from different weapons.
Pakistan said eight people were killed, 35 injured and two were missing after the attack. A Pakistan military spokesperson told Reuters his country shot down five Indian aircraft while they were in Indian airspace. India has not confirmed this claim.
Flight operations at various Indian airports, particularly those close to the India-Pakistan border or in the vicinity of key Indian Air Force bases, have been impacted due to the developing situation and the consequent changes in airspace conditions.
With some of the airports — largely in north India — being closed for civil flight operations following the strikes against Pakistan, Indian airlines announced cancellation of flights to and from such airports for most of Wednesday. They also cautioned flyers that these disruptions are expected to have a network-wide impact, affecting flight schedules in other parts of the country as well.
Air India also diverted two of its international flights enroute from Amritsar to New Delhi.
Qatar Airways temporarily suspended flights to Pakistan.
Pakistan International Airlines said airborne flights had been diverted to Karachi, while those on ground have been put on hold.
Vietnam Airlines said that the tensions between India and Pakistan had affected its flight plans and would provide details regarding re-routing schedules later.
Korean Air said it had began rerouting its Seoul Incheon–Dubai flights on Wednesday, opting for a southern route that passes over Myanmar, Bangladesh, and India, instead of the previous path through Pakistani airspace.
Thai Airways said that flights to destinations in Europe and South Asia would be rerouted starting early Wednesday morning, warning this could cause delays to some flights.
Taiwan's China Airlines said it had activated its contingency plan and "taken a series of measures to ensure the safety of its passengers and crew." It did not elaborate. The website of Taiwan's main international airport at Taoyuan, outside of Taipei, showed that Wednesday's China Airlines non-stop flight to London had been canceled.
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