Pakistan’s decision to close its airspace due to conflict with India led to the cancelation or rerouting of 10 flights from EVA Airways and China Airlines today, the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Web site showed.
Pakistan closed its airspace after a series of strikes conducted by India early this morning against what the latter called “known terror camps,” in response to an April 22 mass shooting.
As a result, several flights to and from the Taoyuan airport are being rerouted or delayed for safety reasons, the airport operator said today.
Photo: Tsai Yun-jung, Taipei Times
So far, 10 flights have been affected, including China Airlines flights that departed yesterday between Taoyuan and Frankfurt, Prague, Amsterdam, Rome and London, which have landed in Bangkok.
China Airlines’ Taipei to London flight today was canceled.
China Airlines said it had activated its contingency plan and "taken a series of measures to ensure the safety of its passengers and crew," without elaborating.
Yesterday’s EVA Air flights from Amsterdam-Bangkok-Taipei and London-Bangkok-Taipei were not canceled, but did have to change route, while the airline’s Taipei to Paris flight was rerouted, but remains in service.
Flight BR62 from Vienna to Bangkok returned to Vienna yesterday, the airline said, and today’s BR95 flight from Taoyuan to Milan was diverted to Vienna to refuel before continuing onto Italy.
EVA Air would continue to monitor the situation and adjust flight routes to avoid affected airspace to ensure safety of its crew members and passengers, it said.
Before Russia's invasion of Ukraine many Europe-bound flights from Taiwan overflew Russia, but Taiwanese airlines are now banned after Taipei joined in Western sanctions on Moscow and generally fly over India, Pakistan and Central Asia.
Korean Air said it had begun rerouting its Seoul Incheon-Dubai flights today, opting for a southern route that passes over Myanmar, Bangladesh and India, instead of the previous path through Pakistani airspace.
Thai Airways said that flights to destinations in Europe and South Asia would be rerouted starting early this morning, warning this could cause delays to some flights.
Vietnam Airlines said that the tensions between India and Pakistan had affected its flight plans and would provide details regarding rerouting schedules later.
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