India-Pakistan fighting: Asian, European airlines divert, cancel flights amid tensions

The detours mean that flying hours between Europe, the Middle East and Asia have become longer

Several Asian and Western airlines said on Wednesday they were re-routing or cancelling flights to and from Europe because of fighting between India and Pakistan.

India attacked Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir and Pakistan said it had shot down five Indian fighter jets in the worst fighting in more than two decades between the nuclear-armed enemies.

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, the airline said in a statement.

Korean Air said it had began re-routing 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 diverted starting early on 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 Taipei, showed that Wednesday’s China Airlines non-stop flight to London had been cancelled.

Vietnam Airlines said that the tensions between India and Pakistan had affected its flight plans and would provide details regarding re-routing schedules later.

Air France and Lufthansa have also been re-routing flights to avoid flying over Pakistan.

The detours mean that flying hours between Europe, the Middle East and Asia have become longer, in some cases by as much as 100 minutes, resulting in higher costs from extra fuel burn.

An Ethiopian Airlines plane on its way to Seoul and a Turkish Airlines jet heading to Istanbul from Karachi were the last flights to leave Pakistani airspace, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.

Qatar Airways has temporarily halted flights into Pakistan, it said in a social media post.

Some flights from India to Europe were also seen taking longer routes. Lufthansa flight LH761 from New Delhi to Frankfurt turned right towards the Arabian Sea near the western Indian city of Surat, taking a longer path compared to Tuesday, according to Flightradar24.

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

Additional reporting by Bloomberg