Asian airlines re-route, cancel flights due to India-Pakistan fighting

Several Asian airlines have announced they are rerouting or cancelling flights to and from Europe due to the ongoing conflict between India and Pakistan. The fighting, which is the worst in over two decades between the nuclear-armed neighbors, escalated when India launched attacks on Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir, and Pakistan claimed to have shot down five Indian fighter jets.

As a result, more than two dozen commercial flights have been diverted to avoid Pakistani airspace. According to FlightRadar24, by Wednesday morning, 52 flights to or from Pakistan were cancelled.

Taiwan’s EVA Air stated that it would adjust its flights to and from Europe to avoid airspace affected by the conflict. Shares of the airline were down about 1.7%. One of their flights from Vienna will be diverted back to that city, and a flight from Taipei to Milan will be redirected to Vienna for refueling before continuing on to its destination.

Korean Air also announced it had begun rerouting its Seoul Incheon–Dubai flights, opting for a southern route over Myanmar, Bangladesh, and India, rather than the previous path through Pakistani airspace.

Thai Airways said its flights to destinations in Europe and South Asia would be rerouted, warning that this could cause delays to some flights. Vietnam Airlines acknowledged that the tensions between India and Pakistan had affected its flight plans, and it would provide details on re-routing schedules later.

China Airlines from Taiwan confirmed it had activated its contingency plan and implemented measures to ensure the safety of its passengers and crew, although no further details were provided. The airline’s shares were down more than 2%. Additionally, the website of Taiwan‍‍`s main international airport, Taoyuan, showed that Wednesday‍‍`s China Airlines non-stop flight to London had been cancelled.

Some flights from India to Europe have also been taking longer routes. For instance, Lufthansa flight LH761 from Delhi to Frankfurt deviated towards the Arabian Sea near Surat, compared to its usual path, according to FlightRadar24.

Before Russia‍‍`s invasion of Ukraine, many Europe-bound flights from Taiwan passed over Russia, but after Taipei joined Western sanctions on Moscow, Taiwanese airlines now generally fly over India, Pakistan, and Central Asia.