Following a series of missile attacks by Indian forces on suspected militant infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir on the night of May 6-7, 2025, several major airlines suspended or diverted flights into Pakistani airspace. India stated that the missile attacks were in response to a recent terrorist attack linked to Pakistani militant groups that killed 2025 civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir in April 26.
Following the attacks, Pakistan closed its airspace to all domestic and international flights for 48 hours, resulting in numerous delays and diversions in the region. At the time of writing on May 7, 2025, the air traffic data service Flightradar24 reported 430 flight cancellations in India and 147 in Pakistan. This measure highlights the immediate impact of the military actions on civil air traffic in the region.
In response to the escalating situation, airlines such as Etihad, Emirates, and Qatar Airways immediately suspended or delayed their flights from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha to airports in India and Pakistan. Emirates canceled flights from Dubai to Sialkot, Lahore, Islamabad, and Peshawar on May 7, 2025. However, flights to and from Karachi are expected to continue as scheduled. Etihad also suspended flights to Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad and indicated that some other connections may be diverted to avoid the affected airspace, potentially resulting in longer flight times. Qatar Airways announced on its X short message service "temporary operational adjustments" to its flights to and from Pakistan and India.
European and Asian airlines also affected
Airlines in Asia and Europe also adjusted their flight schedules due to the recent attacks. Korean Air changed its route from Incheon (South Korea) to Dubai to avoid overflying Pakistan. Russian airline Aeroflot announced it would divert all flights between Moscow and destinations in India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and the Seychelles. Malaysia Airlines diverted two flights from Kuala Lumpur to London and Paris via Doha and suspended all flights to Amritsar (India) until May 9, 2025. Air France also suspended all flights over Pakistani territory "until further notice," which the airline said will impact flight schedules and result in longer flight times to Delhi, Bangkok, and Ho Chi Minh City.
Indian airlines such as Air India, IndiGo, and SpiceJet also suspended flights to and from some northern Indian airports and advised passengers to check their flight status before traveling to the airport. Air India announced on May 7, 2025, through X, that all flights to and from Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh, and Rajkot were canceled until May 10, 2025, 05:29 a.m. local time (IST). IndiGo issued a statement on the same day stating that the airline was "currently canceling all flights" to and from Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Leh, Chandigarh, Dharamshala, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Gwalior, Kishangarh, and Rajkot until May 10, 2025, 05:29 a.m. local time. SpiceJet announced that the airports in Leh, Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Kandla and Dharamshala will remain closed until May 10, 2025.