Pak-India tensions: Many major airlines avoid using Pakistan's airspace

Karachi: Due to the ongoing tension between Pakistan and India since the Pahalgam attack, many major airlines of the world have stopped using Pakistani airspace.

According to details, due to the tension between Pakistan and India, many major airlines of the world including Lufthansa Air, Emirates, Swiss Air, British Airways, and Air France have stopped using Pakistani airspace, due to which the flights of these airlines to India and other countries have to travel for a long time.

Lufthansa Air has officially confirmed that its flights are avoiding using Pakistani airspace until further notice due to the increasing tension between India and Pakistan after the Pahalgam terrorist attack on April 22, 2025.

According to airline officials, the decision is in line with the actions of other major international airlines like Air France, British Airways, Swiss International Airlines and Emirates, which have rerouted flights to India or other countries to avoid Pakistani airspace, which has led to longer travel times and increased fuel costs for all flights.

British Airways’ London-Delhi flight BA142 has been extended by an hour to avoid Pakistani airspace, while Frankfurt-New Delhi Lufthansa flight LH760 is facing an additional time of about an hour due to the new routing.

Emirates’ Dubai-Delhi flight EK517 is also facing an additional time of more than half an hour, while Emirates flights to Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and other cities also bypass Pakistani airspace and reach their destinations.

The airspace changes are part of a wider series of retaliatory measures between India and Pakistan.

India has also closed its airspace to Pakistani airlines, while Pakistan has imposed restrictions on Indian airlines.

Despite the tensions, Pakistan has allowed international airlines to use its airspace, but Lufthansa and Air France have voluntarily chosen to avoid it.

British Airways, on the other hand, is operating flights BA 2161 and BA 2160 to and from Islamabad.