 "European airlines avoiding Pakistan's airspace since April 30: Report")
Pakistan’s decision to shut its airspace to India has not only rerouted its carriers but also forced planes from Europe to choose a different route. Commercial airlines like Air France and Lufthansa have been avoiding Pakistani airspace since earlier this week.
Airplane tracking site Flightradar24 has said that carriers like Air France, British Airways, and Swiss have changed their flight routes since April 30 to bypass the Pakistani airspace. And according to NOTAM, a notice for pilots to alert them about potential hazards, some flight paths in northern Pakistan are officially closed till May, and hence flights are adjusting their routes accordingly.
In the past two days, some flights, like Lufthansa’s routes to India and Bangkok, Polish Airlines’ Warsaw-Delhi, and ITA airlines’ Rome-Delhi, chose to avoid flying over Pakistan despite not receiving any official notice from NOTAM. This has caused flights to operate by an extra hour.
While NOTAMs are sent out to pilots to let them know about the dangers of some airspace, countries do their own risk assessments and alert airlines to avoid certain routes that they deem are not safe.
India closes airspace for Pak planes
Meanwhile, earlier this week, India closed its airspace for flights operated by Pakistan airlines in a fresh retaliatory move amid escalating tensions with the neighbouring country following the Pahalgam terror attack.
The Indian airspace will not be available for the aircraft registered in Pakistan, as well as for planes operated, owned or leased by Pakistan airlines and operators. Also, the ban will be applicable to the military aircraft of Pakistan.
The latest move, part of various measures taken by the government against Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, comes a week after Pakistan closed its airspace for Indian carriers.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThere are no direct flights between India and Pakistan.
Pakistani carriers use the Indian airspace for their flights to Singapore, Malaysia and other East Asian countries.
With inputs from agencies
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