Mideast airlines suspend Pakistan flights following Indian strikes
Pakistan closed its airspace for 48 hours starting early Wednesday following Indian airstrikes on several locations that left at least 15 people dead.
The big three Middle Eastern airlines — UAE-based Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways — have suspended or rerouted several flights over Pakistan after India struck its neighbor with missiles early Wednesday in response to a terror attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last month.
What happened: On April 22, five armed militants killed at least 28 civilians near Pahalgam in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan for the attack and launched airstrikes early Wednesday on what it described as terrorist hideouts and infrastructure. Islamabad said the strikes killed at least 26 people, while Delhi put the death toll at 15 and 42 injured.
Following the strikes, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the missile attack as an act of war and vowed to respond. Pakistan also said it had shot down five Indian fighter jets and closed its airspace for 48 hours, disrupting dozens of flights. Authorities said 57 international flights were in Pakistani airspace at the time of the strikes.
State of play: The airspace closure prompted the three major Gulf airlines to swiftly halt or delay flights from Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha airports to India and Pakistan.
