Major airlines suspend flights near India-Pakistan conflict zone

A number of major airlines have suspended or rerouted flights to avoid Pakistani airspace following a series of missile strikes by Indian forces aimed at militant infrastructure in both Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir on the night between May 6 and 7, 2025. 

India said the missile strikes are in response to a recent terrorist attack connected to militant groups from Pakistan, which resulted in the deaths of 26 civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir in April 2025. 

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After the strikes, Pakistan closed its airspace for 48 hours to all domestic and international flights, leading many flights to be delayed or rerouted in the region. At the time of writing on May 7, 2025, Flightradar24 reported 430 flight cancellations in India and 147 cancellations in Pakistan. 

Gulf carriers 

In response to the current situation, airlines such as Etihad, Emirates, and Qatar Airways have quickly stopped or delayed flights from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha to airports in India and Pakistan.  

Emirates canceled flights from Dubai to Sialkot, Lahore, Islamabad, and Peshawar on May 7, 2025, but flights to and from Karachi will continue as scheduled.  

Etihad has also canceled flights to Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad, adding that some other services may be rerouted to avoid the affected airspace, potentially resulting in extended flight times. 

Qatar Airways reported on X having made “temporary operational adjustments” of its flights to and from Pakistan and India. 

Carriers in Asia and Europe 

Airlines in Asia and Europe have also updated their flight schedules due to the recent strikes. 

Korean Air has altered its route from Incheon, South Korea, to Dubai to avoid flying over Pakistan. Russian airline Aeroflot announced it will redirect all flights between Moscow and destinations in India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and the Seychelles.  

Malaysia Airlines has rerouted two flights from Kuala Lumpur to London and Paris to go through Doha and has suspended all flights to Amritsar, India, until May 9, 2025.  

Meanwhile, Air France has also halted all flights over Pakistan “until further notice”, which the airline said will affect schedules and increase flight times to Delhi, Bangkok, and Ho Chi Minh City. 

Indian carriers 

Air India and other Indian airlines such as IndiGo and SpiceJet have halted flights to and from some northern Indian airports, advising passengers to check their flight status before heading to the airport. 

On May 7, 2025, Air India announced on X that it has canceled all flights to and from Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh, and Rajkot until 5:29 local time (IST) on May 10, 2025. 

“Customers holding valid tickets for travel during this period will be offered a one-time waiver on rescheduling charges or a full refund for cancellations,” Air India said.  

On the same day, IndiGo announced in a statement that it is “in the process of cancelling all flights” to and from Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Leh, Chandigarh, Dharamshala, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Gwalior, Kishangarh, and Rajkot until 05:29 local time on May 10, 2025. 

“We are closely monitoring the situation, and further schedule adjustments across other sectors may follow,” IndiGo noted. 

Meanwhile, SpiceJet announced that flights to and from Leh, Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Kandla, and Dharamshala airports are currently closed until May 10, 2025. The post Major airlines suspend flights near India-Pakistan conflict zone appeared first on AeroTime.

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