Foreign airlines headed to Pakistan had to return midway on early on May 7

Several international flights flying to and over Pakistan had to be diverted or return to their point of origin in early hours of Wednesday after India launched an airstrike on terror targets based in Pakistan, prompting immediate airspace uncertainty and closures.Among the first to be affected was Turkish Airlines flight TK710, operating from Istanbul to Islamabad. The aircraft had to make a U-turn at approximately 1.30 am IST on May 7. Around the same time, flight TK712, en route from Istanbul to Dhaka and typically passing through Pakistani airspace, was diverted to Muscat at 12.40 am IST. Jazeera Airways flight J9531, traveling from Kuwait to Dhaka, also had to change course and diverted to Ras Al-Khaimah in UAE at 1.07 am IST.

Etihad Airways faced widespread disruption across multiple Pakistan-bound routes:

• Flight EY284 (Abu Dhabi to Lahore) returned to Abu Dhabi at 1:50 am IST.
• Flight EY296 (Abu Dhabi to Karachi) turned back, reaching Abu Dhabi at 2 am IST.
• Flight EY302 (Abu Dhabi to Islamabad) reversed course at 1.30 am IST.
• Even non-subcontinental routes were affected. China Airlines flight CI61, flying from Taipei to Frankfurt via Pakistan was diverted to Bangkok at 1.55 am IST. Similarly, China Airlines flight CI82, operating from London to Taipei, was rerouted to Prague at 4 am IST.

Also read | India Pakistan tensions: Multiple International airlines cancel flights to and from PakistanAviation continues to remain vulnerable to geopolitical tensions. The sudden disruptions and diversions led to increased fuel consumption, logistical challenges, passenger delays, and financial losses to airlines.

Meanwhile, multiple international airlines continued to avoid Pakistan airspace early on May 7 and by afternoon Pakistan announced a temporary 48-hour shutdown of its airspace.

According to reports, the closure came shortly after the Indian armed forces launched the coordinated missile strike on nine locations linked to terrorist groups. The operation was in retaliation for the deadly April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives.

Initially, Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority restricted airspace over Islamabad and Lahore, diverting incoming flights to Karachi. As tensions escalated, a full nationwide airspace closure was enforced for 48 hours as a precautionary measure.