Major global airlines steer clear of Pakistan airspace for India flights

Lufthansa, British Airways, Emirates and others reroute flights amid India-Pakistan airspace restrictions, raising flight times and cutting Pakistan's overflight revenue

Major global airlines such as Lufthansa, Swiss, Emirates, American Airlines, Air France, and British Airways have stopped using Pakistan’s airspace while operating their flights to and from India, after tensions between India and Pakistan flared following a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam in which 26 people, most of them tourists, died.

 

Pakistan had, on April 24, announced the closure of its airspace to Indian carriers. India shut its airspace for Pakistan’s airlines from May 1 onwards. International carriers, however, are allowed to use both countries’ airspaces.

 

Yet, Lufthansa’s Delhi-Frankfurt flight and Swiss International Air Lines’ Delhi-Zurich flight stopped