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Air travel across South and Central Asia has been thrown into disarray as tensions between India and Pakistan escalated into open conflict, prompting major airlines to reroute or cancel flights that typically go through Pakistan’s airspace.
Indian carriers, including Air India, IndiGo, and SpiceJet, had already been banned from flying over Pakistan, leading to major detours and European refueling stops on long-haul flights.
After India launched missile strikes on Wednesday, a growing list of airlines has either canceled flights or adjusted international routes to bypass Pakistani airspace.
Several Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern carriers have issued advisories, with reroutes affecting travel between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
Malaysia Airlines and Batik Air announced suspensions of routes involving Pakistani airports, citing operational and security concerns.
Korean Air, EVA Air, and Thai Airways have all altered their flight paths to avoid the region.
Despite the near-complete shutdown, flight tracking data from Flightradar24 shows one Ethiopian Airlines flight traveling through Pakistani airspace early on Wednesday, en route from Addis Ababa to Seoul.
At 1:50 p.m. local time, only three aircraft operated by Pakistani carriers were visible over the country.
Flightradar24
Escalating tensions
Tensions between India and Pakistan have soared since an attack last month in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people.
India has blamed Pakistan for the incident, calling it an act of terrorism sponsored by Islamabad. Pakistan has denied any involvement.
In response, India launched a series of airstrikes early on Wednesday, saying it had hit nine non-military targets across Pakistan and the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region.
India’s Ministry of Defense described the attacks as “precision strikes” in retaliation for the Kashmir massacre, which it said left 25 Indian nationals dead.
Pakistan swiftly condemned the strikes as an “act of war.” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed a “forceful response,” while Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told state television that his country had shot down five Indian fighter jets and a drone and destroyed several Indian checkposts.
At a press conference later that night, a spokesperson for Pakistan’s armed forces said eight Pakistanis had been killed and 33 injured in India’s attack.
“India has no evidence whatsoever to link Pakistan to this incident,” Tarar told Sky News of the Kashmir attack in April.
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