Asian airlines reroute, cancel flights; India shuts several airports

All flights by SIA and Scoot avoiding Pakistani airspace, using alternative routes

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TAIPEI - Several Asian airlines on May 7 said they were rerouting or cancelling flights to and from Europe because of fighting between India and Pakistan, while about a dozen Indian airports were shut after fighting erupted 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.

Images from flight tracking websites after India's attack showed a long line of planes passing over Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, raising the possibility of airspace congestion.

There were 57 international flights operating in Pakistan's airspace when India struck, said a spokesperson for Pakistan's army.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's office said in a statement that India's action caused grave danger to commercial airlines belonging to Gulf countries and endangered lives.

In the past few days, India and Pakistan shut their airspaces to each other's airlines. Global airlines like Lufthansa have also been avoiding Pakistan's airspace.

Domestic flights in both countries were also disrupted.

India's top airline IndiGo said it was cancelling 165 flights until the morning of May 10. Its shares were down 1.1 per cent on May 7.