UAE and Gulf airlines cancel flights to India and Pakistan

Military escalation leads to Islamabad closing country's airspace as airports in northern India suspend services

Pakistan has closed its airspace, leading to flight cancellations. The National

Latest: Passengers hopeful flights will resume as Pakistan reopens air space after ceasefire

Airlines have cancelled and rerouted flights over South Asia after India struck a series of sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Gulf carriers Emirates, Etihad and Qatar were among those to halt flights from Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha to airports in northern India and Pakistan, which has closed all airspace.

Read next: India and Pakistan announce closure of airports

Etihad said it had rerouted planes mid-flight. IndiGo and SpiceJet also issued warnings.

“Airports in parts of northern India, including Dharamshala, Leh, Jammu, Srinagar and Amritsar, are closed until further notice,” SpiceJet said early on Wednesday morning.

Emirates has cancelled flights between Dubai and destinations including Sialkot, Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar.

“Customers on cancelled flights must not proceed to the airport in Pakistan. Flights to/from Karachi are not impacted and will be operating as per schedule,” a statement read.

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  A child looks on after taking refuge at a school in Jammu, Indian-administered Kashmir, following an exchange of shelling and small arms fire across the border. Getty Images

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  Streaks of light in the skies over the city of Jammu in Indian-administered Kashmir, during a suspected drone attack from the Pakistan side. Getty Images

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  A Pakistani paramilitary trooper keeps guard at Karachi Port. Reuters

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  A candlelight vigil for victims of a Indian missile strike on Bilal Mosque in Muzaffarabad, Pakistani-administered Kashmir. EPA

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  Security personnel at Karachi Port, southern Pakistan. EPA

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  Lorries gridlocked near Pakistan's Karachi Port following the military escalation between New Delhi and Islamabad. EPA

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  India's air defence system intercepts objects during a blackout following blasts in the city of Jammu, in Indian-administered Kashmir. Reuters

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  The damaged Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah compound after an Indian strike on the outskirts of Bahawalpur in Pakistan's Punjab province. AFP

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  Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressing the special session at the National Assembly in Islamabad. AFP

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  Villagers carry their belongings as they move to safer areas after authorities evacuated residents living near the border at Jeora Farm on the outskirts of Jammu. AFP

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  National Cadet Corps cadets shout slogans after conducting an emergency simulation drill as part of the nationwide civil defence mock drills in Amritsar. AFP

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  National Disaster Response Force, civil defence and fire personnel conduct an air raid drill at Khan market in New Delhi. EPA

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  An artillery shell lands in the main town of Poonch district in India's Jammu region on Wednesday as Pakistani troops launch shells from across the Line of Control in retaliation for Indian missile strikes. AFP

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  Poonch locals load their belongings on a bus as they flee the shelling. AFP

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  Workers paint a red cross symbol on the roof of a hospital to deter a potential attack in Srinagar, in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. AFP

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  Indian school pupils take part in a drill at Rajkiya Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in New Delhi. EPA

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  Another Pakistani shell hits Poonch. AFP

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  Rescuers search for survivors after India struck a building in a government-run complex in Muridke, Pakistan, about 30km from Lahore. AFP

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  The mosque of an Islamic seminary partially damaged by an Indian missile attack, on the outskirts of Bahawalpur, Pakistan. AP

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  Residents are evacuated from an area close to the site of an Indian missile attack, near Muzaffarabad. AP

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  Bilal mosque lies in ruins after being struck by Indian missiles in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. AP

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  Volunteers load a body into an ambulance after recovering it from the rubble of a mosque building damaged by a suspected Indian missile attack near Muzaffarabad. AP

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  A lorry transports an army tank on a road in Muridke, about 30km from Lahore. AFP

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  Indian Air Force personnel patrol on the outskirts of Srinagar. EPA

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  Indian troops patrol a security checkpoint on the outskirts of Srinagar. EPA

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  Passengers stranded at Jinnah International airport after all domestic and international flights were cancelled in Karachi. AFP

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  Protesters burn an Indian flag during a demonstration condemning Indian missile strikes in Hyderabad, Pakistan. AP

Etihad said: “As a result of the closure of Pakistani airspace, Etihad Airways flights – EY284 (Abu Dhabi to Lahore), EY296 (Abu Dhabi to Karachi), and EY302 (Abu Dhabi to Islamabad) – which were en route to Pakistan on 6 May, have returned to Abu Dhabi.”

The airline said that Karachi to Abu Dhabi, Lahore to Abu Dhabi and Islamabad to Abu Dhabi were suspended.

Also affected was flydubai, with some of the budget airline's flights suspended or diverted earlier on Wednesday. Flights to Karachi continued to operate and other routes were starting to resume services.

"Flydubai flights to Karachi on May 7 are operating to schedule and we have also resumed our operations to Faisalabad, Lahore, Multan and Sialkot," said a representative.

"We continue to monitor the situation closely and the safety of our passengers and crew is our priority. We apologise for the inconvenience caused to our passengers’ travel schedules."

UAE-based Air Arabia also had to make changes to schedules as a result of the conflict.

"Air Arabia has cancelled flights to and from Pakistan from both Sharjah and Abu Dhabi due to the closure of certain airports in Pakistan," said a representative.

"We advise all passengers to check the status of their flights before proceeding to the airport, either by visiting our official website or contacting our call centre. We regret any inconvenience caused, as the safety of our passengers and crew remains our top priority."

Costly conflict

Continued fighting between the nations would be bad news for the air industry, warned one expert.

"Prolonged skirmishes between the two countries simply means that they'll be treated as too risky and flights from non-Indian and Pakistani airlines will diminish quite rapidly," said Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at StrategicAero Research.

"In the short term, the obvious risk to airlines that operate to both countries means cancellations, uncertainty and short term costs in terms of refunds and aircraft and crew out of place. Depending on how Pakistan responds and of course if India counters, this sadly could be a protracted tit for tat type event as both posture for favourable media and political coverage."

The cost, to India's airline industry in particular, could be significant, added Mr Ahmad.

"India has a lot more to lose, given that it has more airlines that use Pakistani airspace. We're already seeing fuel stops by Indian airlines," he said. "How long can they absorb those sorts of costs given how poorly run many Indian airlines are already?"

The raising of the stakes between India and Pakistan will also have significant repercussions for the GCC region, he warned.

"GCC airlines have a huge footprint in both nations and they'll be keen to ensure clarity for operations so that don't position airplanes and staff for flights which then get cancelled," said Mr Ahmad. "While these are popular countries for GCC expats to travel to, they traditionally are high volume and lower yield. In addition, any prolonged skirmishes between the two countries simply means that they'll be treated as too risky and flights from non-Indian and Pakistani airlines will diminish quite rapidly."

One potential effect could be more people using the UAE as a hub for connecting flights, if India and Pakistan were out of bounds, suggested Mr Ahmad.

"Many travellers will simply avoid flying Indian or Pakistani airlines and instead opt to fly to hubs like Dubai and continue their European or North American flights that way and reduce the risk of their flights being cancelled," he said.

International air routes affected

India carries out strikes against Pakistan

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Taiwan's EVA Air said that it will adjust its flights to and from Europe to avoid airspace affected by fighting between India and Pakistan for safety reasons.

One flight from Vienna will be diverted back to that city, while a flight from Taipei to Milan will be diverted to Vienna for refuelling before continuing on to its destination.

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.

The website of Taiwan's main international airport at Taoyuan, outside Taipei, showed that Wednesday's China Airlines non-stop flight to London had been cancelled.

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