Gulf Airlines Including Etihad, Qatar Airways Halt Services To India And Pakistan (image-instagram/etihad)

Amidst the escalation of tension between India and Pakistan following the military retaliation, airlines across the world have cancelled and rerouted flights over South Asia. Gulf carriers including Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar were among the flights from GCC countries who have announced their decision to halt the flights to airports in northern India and Pakistan.

UAE airlines, Etihad, have rerouted planes mid-flight. IndiGo and SpiceJet have also issued warnings, reports The National. So far, the airlines have cancelled flights between Dubai and destinations including Sialkot, Lahore, Islamabad, and Peshawar.

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“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.

Etihad has announced that as a result of the Pakistan airspace closure, 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 May 6, have returned to Abu Dhabi.

Moreover, all services to Abu Dhabi from Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad have also been suspended.

Qatar Airways said it has “temporarily suspended” flights to Pakistan due to the airspace closure. “The airline is closely monitoring the situation and will continue to prioritise the safety of its passengers and crew,” it said in a statement, advising passengers to continue checking the latest flight information on the airline’s website.

Among the affected airlines, some of the budget airline’s flights, Flydubai, have either been suspended or diverted earlier on Wednesday.

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As a response to the Pahalgam terror attack, India struck Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of Wednesday, killing eight people. While Pakistan’s overnight shelling has claimed three civilian lives in Jammu and Kashmir. Following the attack, Pakistan’s Information Minister warned that India would face a “very fierce response” to its missile strikes.