UAE Flights to India, Pakistan Disrupted Amid Rising Tensions
Emirates, Etihad, and other airlines suspend services as India-Pakistan airspace closures cause major disruptions
UAE Flights to India and Pakistan Disrupted Amid Escalating Military Tensions
Dubai, May 7 – A wave of flight cancellations and delays has hit major airports in the UAE as military tensions intensify between India and Pakistan following India’s launch of ‘Operation Sindoor’, which targeted multiple militant locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.
The continuous closures of airspace over Pakistan have caused a number of airlines, including Emirates, Etihad Airways, and other foreign airlines, to either suspend or reroute flights. In addition to delays on flights to New Delhi and Peshawar, flights between Dubai and towns including Pakistan Lahore, Sialkot, Islamabad, Karachi, Faisalabad, and Multan have been canceled.
Emirates confirmed that services to major Pakistani cities were temporarily halted, and Etihad Airways stated that several flights on May 7 were either cancelled or forced to return to Abu Dhabi mid-route. Airlines have warned passengers that flight durations may increase due to detours around restricted airspace. For the latest information, passengers are encouraged to visit their airline’s official website and consider changing their travel plans accordingly.
Qatar Airways has announced the temporary suspension of flights to Pakistan, citing airspace difficulties and reaffirming its commitment to passenger safety.
SpiceJet and IndiGo in India have issued public warnings, asking passengers using northern airports to check flight status in advance as disruptions are expected to continue.
The flight disruptions come after India carried out precision missile strikes on nine terror sites, including a Lashkar-e-Taiba base in Muridke and a Jaish-e-Mohammed stronghold in Bahawalpur. According to reports, the strikes were carried out in retribution for the terror attack that killed 26 Hindu tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22.
As tensions rise, the regional aviation industry faces significant operational challenges, with further disruptions likely if the geopolitical situation escalates.
