Airlines Alter Flights Amid Pakistan-India Conflict Escalation

TAIPEI/NEW DELHI: Major airlines like United Airlines and Korean Air canceled or rerouted flights as approximately twelve airports in India closed on Wednesday. This response came after India launched a retaliatory strike on Pakistan, heightening concerns of escalating conflict.

The Indian military targeted Azad Kashmir, while Pakistan claimed it had downed five Indian fighter jets during the incident, which followed an attack last month that resulted in 26 fatalities in the region of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.

Flight tracking data revealed a significant number of airlines adjusting their routes over Oman, the UAE, and Kuwait, prompting fears of airspace congestion.

Pakistani authorities reported that 57 international flights were operating in their airspace when the Indian attack occurred. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office stated that India’s actions posed “serious threats to commercial airlines” from Gulf nations and endangered passengers’ lives.

India’s civil aviation ministry had not responded immediately to inquiries regarding Pakistan’s statements.

In recent days, both India and Pakistan have restricted their airspace to each other’s carriers, leading global airlines such as Lufthansa to avoid Pakistani airspace altogether.

Flight operations within both nations experienced significant disruption, with 3% of scheduled flights in India and 17% in Pakistan being canceled by 10:30 GMT, according to Flightradar24 data.

India’s leading airline, IndiGo, announced it would cancel 165 flights up to Saturday morning, resulting in a 1.1% share price drop. Cancellations also affected Air India, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air.

Despite the recent closures, Pakistan reported that its airspace had reopened and that its airports were “operationally sound.”

Concerns Over GPS Spoofing

The ongoing changes to airline schedules are set to complicate operations further for carriers in the Middle East and South Asia, already impacted by regional conflicts.

A representative for the Dutch airline KLM confirmed that it would refrain from flying over Pakistan until further notice. Similarly, Singapore Airlines declared it had ceased flights over Pakistani airspace as of May 6.

Korean Air announced it would reroute its flights from Seoul to Dubai, opting for a path that traverses Myanmar, Bangladesh, and India, bypassing previous routes through Pakistani airspace.

United Airlines also canceled its flight to Delhi, citing “airspace restrictions” among other reasons. The U.S. airline provides one direct flight from Newark to New Delhi.

Thai Airways indicated that it would be rerouting flights to European and South Asian destinations starting early Wednesday, and Taiwan’s China Airlines reported disruptions for flights to and from cities such as London, Frankfurt, and Rome.

Flights from India to Europe have also been observed taking longer routes. For instance, a Lufthansa flight from Delhi to Frankfurt took approximately half an hour longer to reach its destination compared to the previous day’s schedule, according to FlightRadar24.

The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines expressed concerns about the impact of the ongoing conflicts on airline operations, highlighting not just the cost and operational disruptions but also the serious safety risks posed by GPS spoofing, which can mislead flight operations in conflict zones.

GPS spoofing refers to a deceptive technique that alters Global Positioning System (GPS) data, potentially diverting commercial airliners from their intended paths.