Escalating Tensions: European Airlines Avoid Pakistani Airspace Amidst Rising Tensions Between India and Pakistan

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New Delhi: The escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, sparked by the deadly Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 lives, have led to significant changes in international flight routes. In the wake of the attack, which occurred earlier this month, Islamabad made the decision to close its airspace to all Indian airlines. This move has now prompted several European carriers to adjust their flight paths to avoid crossing through Pakistani airspace.

Flightradar24, a popular flight tracking site, shared the latest developments in a post on X, revealing that major European airlines, including Air France, British Airways, and Swiss Airlines, had been rerouting flights to avoid Pakistan since yesterday. The post further explained, “Some airways in northern Pakistan are NOTAM’d unavailable through May, leading to adjusted routings with Pakistan as well.”

Other airlines, including Lufthansa, ITA Airways, and LOT, have now followed suit, rerouting their flights to bypass Pakistani airspace. “Lufthansa, ITA Airways, and LOT are joining the list of airlines routing around Pakistan today,” the post stated.

Flight cancellations or rerouting are not uncommon in situations where countries assess potential risks to aviation safety. In this case, certain airlines, without an official NOTAM, opted to avoid Pakistani airspace due to safety concerns. Reports have indicated that flights such as Bangkok-Munich, Frankfurt-Hyderabad, Munich-Delhi, and Frankfurt-Mumbai are also avoiding Pakistani airspace, resulting in additional flight times of about one hour.

The decision by European airlines to bypass Pakistan’s airspace comes amidst growing geopolitical tensions. India has promised a strong retaliation against those responsible for the terrorist attack on April 22 in Pahalgam, where 26 people, including civilians and security personnel, were killed. The attack, claimed by the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba’s (LeT) proxy, the Resistance Front (TRF), has led to widespread calls for action.

In response to the attack, India’s political leadership has granted “complete operational freedom” to the country’s armed forces. This means that the military has been given the autonomy to decide on the mode, targets, and timing of India’s retaliatory actions in response to the tragedy.

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