UAE Airlines Resumes Flights To India And Pakistan (image-instagram/etihad)
Many UAE carriers had resumed their flight operations to India and Pakistan following a ceasefire agreement that was reached between the two countries. UAE airlines, Emirates, Etihad, and Air Arabia had announced their partial resumption of their operation to Pakistan on Sunday, May 11. Meanwhile, a statement released by the Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA) confirmed the full restoration of airspace nationwide and released an updated Notice to Airmen (NOTAM).
“All airports across the country are now available for normal flight operations,” a PAA spokesperson said. PAA has also requested the passengers to contact their respective airlines for updated flight schedules. It confirmed five routes have been reinstated so far, including services to Karachi (EK600/601), Sialkot (EK618/619), and Lahore (EK622/623) on May 11, followed by Islamabad (EK612/613) and Peshawar (EK636/EK637) on May 12 and 13, respectively.
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However, despite the reopening, officials had warned that operations may take some time to fully normalise, as several aircraft and pieces of ground equipment had been relocated to secure sites amid the escalating tension.
Meanwhile, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the other relevant aviation authorities issued a series of Notice to Airmen (NOTAMs) announcing the temporary closure of 32 airports across northern and western India to all civil flight operations.
The closures were effective from May 9 to May 14, extending until 5:29 am Indian Standard Time (IST) on May 15, 2025. The AAI cited “operational reasons” for this widespread disruption to air travel. The affected airports are: Adhampur, Ambala, Amritsar, Awantipur, Bathinda, Bhuj, Bikaner, Chandigarh, Halwara, Hindon, Jaisalmer, Jammu, Jamnagar, Jodhpur, Kandla, Kangra (Gaggal), Keshod, Kishangarh, Kullu Manali (Bhuntar), Leh, Ludhiana, Mundra, Naliya, Pathankot, Patiala, Porbandar, Rajkot (Hirasar), Sarsawa, Shimla, Srinagar, Thoise, and Uttarlai.
As per the recent reports, the 32 airports will be reopened for the operation soon. In a post on Monday, AAI has announced that all these airports are fully operational.
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Since then, there has not been any official update from AAI since the announcement on May 10.
According to the updates from the leading GCC carrier, Qatar Airways, on social media channel X, the airline will continue its flight suspensions to several destinations in Pakistan and one in India.
