[SINGAPORE] Singapore Airlines (SIA) and its budget arm Scoot have stopped flying over Pakistani airspace, and have been using alternative flight paths since Tuesday (May 6) to avoid the war zone.
A spokesperson from the carrier said this may result in slightly longer flight times for some flights, without specifying the affected routes in its response to queries from The Business Times.
Affected passengers will be accommodated on alternative flights if necessary, and they are advised to update their contact details with SIA and Scoot, the spokesperson said.
These airlines are some of the Asian airlines that said on Wednesday they were re-routing or cancelling flights to and from Europe because of fighting between India and Pakistan.
India attacked Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir, and Pakistan said it had shot down five Indian fighter jets in the worst fighting in more than two decades between the nuclear-armed enemies.
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.
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One flight from Vienna will be diverted back to that city, while a flight from Taipei to Milan will be diverted to Vienna for refuelling before continuing on to its destination, the airline said in a statement to Reuters.
Korean Air said it had begun rerouting its Seoul-Dubai flights on Wednesday, 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 on Wednesday 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 re-routing schedules later.
Taiwan’s China Airlines said it had activated its contingency plan and “taken a series of measures to ensure the safety of its passengers and crew”. It did not elaborate.
The website of Taiwan’s main international airport at Taoyuan, outside Taipei, showed that Wednesday’s China Airlines non-stop flight to London had been cancelled.
Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, any Europe-bound flights from Taiwan flew over Russia but Taiwanese airlines are now banned after Taipei joined in Western sanctions on Moscow and generally fly over India, Pakistan and Central Asia. REUTERS
