Global airlines are rerouting and cancelling flights after fighter-jet combat between India and Pakistan prompted airspace closures and airport shutdowns, disrupting crucial routes for commercial planes.
Singapore Airlines cancelled a Frankfurt-Singapore flight. Westbound trips to London and Frankfurt were forced to divert, causing them to make refuelling stops in Dubai or Mumbai, the carrier said in a statement.
Thai Airways scrapped flights between Bangkok and London, citing “escalated tensions between India and Pakistan.” The airspace shutdown also will affect flights to 11 countries in Europe, the carrier said.
A United Continental flight from Newark Liberty International Airport to Delhi was re-routed to London and later cancelled, while a Newark-Mumbai flight was shifted to Frankfurt. An Air Canada flight from Toronto to Delhi turned back Tuesday night over Ireland and was scrubbed when it arrived back in Canada. A Vancouver-Delhi flight also was scrapped.
The South Asian nations are engaged in the most serious military confrontation in decades, after India said on Tuesday it killed hundreds of militants in a camp inside Pakistan. Pakistan retaliated by shooting down two Indian aircraft and capturing at least one pilot, while India said it downed a Pakistani jet. Pakistan closed its airspace, while airports in North India were shut for hours before restrictions were lifted.
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