Asian Airlines Bypass Flights as India-Pakistan Tensions Escalate

TAIPEI (News in A Day) - Several Asian carriers announced on Wednesday that they were rerouting or canceling trips to and from Europe due to the conflict between India and Pakistan.

India launched an attack against Pakistan and Pakistani-administered Kashmir, leading to Pakistan claiming they had brought down five Indian warplanes. This marks the most intense conflict between these nuclear-powered adversaries in over twenty years.

Taiwan's EVA Air said that it will adjust its flights to and from Europe to avoid airspace affected by the fighting between India and Pakistan for safety reasons.

A flight departing from Vienna will return to the same city, whereas a Taipei-to-Milan route will make an additional stop in Vienna for refueling purposes before proceeding to its final destination, as stated by the airline to News in A Day.

Korean Air announced that starting Wednesday, it has been redirecting its flights from Seoul Incheon to Dubai. The new route takes a more southerly path, going above Myanmar, Bangladesh, and India, rather than using the former trajectory that passed through Pakistani airspace.

Thai Airways announced that routes to European and South Asian destinations will be redirected beginning early Wednesday morning, with potential flight delays as a result.

Vietnam Airlines stated that the conflicts between India and Pakistan had impacted their flight routes and promised to share further information about revised schedules subsequently.

China Airlines from Taiwan stated that they have initiated their emergency response plan and implemented various steps to guarantee passenger and crew safety. They chose not to provide further details.

The homepage of Taiwan’s principal international gateway, located in Taoyuan near Taipei, indicated that the direct China Airlines service to London scheduled for Wednesday has been canceled.

Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, numerous flights from Taiwan destined for Europe often passed through Russian airspace. However, following Taipei’s alignment with Western sanctions against Moscow, Taiwanese carriers have been prohibited from using these routes. As an alternative, they now typically traverse Indian, Pakistani, and Central Asian skies.

(Reported by Ben Blanchard; Extra reporting provided by Jin Hyun Joo in Seoul, Khanh Vu in Hanoi; Edited by Christian Schmollinger, Michael Perry, and Raju Gopalakrishnan)