India-Pakistan tension affects UAE flights

Abu Dhabi - All the airlines have asked passengers to monitor the situation before making further travel plans.

The escalating tensions between South Asian neighbours saw flight operations to and from Pakistan and some cities in north India being thrown out of gear.
The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) in the UAE suspended all flights to Pakistan until further notice, after the closure of the Pakistani airspace on Wednesday. Pakistan's decision to shut down its airspace and airports came after the Indian Air Force reportedly carried out strikes on a terror camp in Pakistan's Balakot on Tuesday.
Pakistan stopped its domestic and international flight operations from Lahore, Multan, Karachi, Faisalabad, Sialkot and Islamabad airports, according to media reports.
Nine airports in India, including Jammu, Leh, Pathankot, Amritsar, Shimla, Kangra, Kulu Manali and Pithoragarh, were shut, according to airport officials. 
In a statement, the GCAA said the decision came following current developments in Pakistan.
"The GCAA will continue to monitor the situation in Pakistan and take appropriate decisions to ensure the safety of passengers and national carriers," said the authority in a statement.
Flight operations in Pakistan were partially restored by evening, with Jinnah International Airport in Karachi seeing two departures, the Pakistani airport regulator announced.
Flights WY324 from Karachi to Muscat and EK601 from Karachi to Dubai have taken off, according to reports. Flight operations at some affected airports in India were also resumed.
Airlines help passengers
"Due to airspace and airport closures in Pakistan, Etihad Airways flights EY233 Abu Dhabi (AUH)-Islamabad (ISB) and EY243 Abu Dhabi (AUH) - Lahore (LHE), both due to depart 1400 February 27, are being held until further notice.
"Flight EY290 Abu Dhabi (AUH) - Kathmandu (KTM) is returning to AUH as a result of the enroute airspace closure and is due to land at 1400," Etihad Airways said in a statement.
The airline said their guest control team is supporting affected passengers. "This is an evolving situation and updates will follow as it develops. The safety and security of our guests will always be our number one priority at Etihad Airways and we continue to monitor the situation," the airline said.
Ranjan Datta, Air India manager in Abu Dhabi, said flights are not affected as Air India does not operate to the northern sector from Abu Dhabi, except to Delhi.
"As of now, Delhi flights remain unaffected. We are watching the situation carefully," he said.
Datta said the decision to shut down Amritsar and other airports in India's northern sector has been taken to reduce civilian casualties in the event of a further escalation in tension with Pakistan. In 1999 during the Kargil war, both the countries had closed their airspace. Also in 2001 after the attack on Indian Parliament, there was a similar shutdown, said Datta.
Cancellations
In Dubai also, dozens of flights were cancelled and passengers were stranded at the airport.
Asim Vardaga, Dubai station manager of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), said currently no flights will be operating to/from Pakistan.
"Pakistan airspace has been closed till further notice as per the civil aviation report," Vardaga told Khaleej Times. PIA operates more than 11 flights to Pakistan on a weekly basis.
Emirates operations to Pakistan and Afghanistan were also affected.
"Due to the closure of Pakistan airspace, a number of Emirates flights to/from Pakistan and Afghanistan on February 27 and 28 have been cancelled. The latest flight schedules can be found on emirates.com. Affected passengers are requested to contact their booking agent or Emirates reservations to rebook their flights or make alternative travel arrangements," said the airline in a statement.
"We are sorry for any inconvenience caused to our customers. We continue to monitor the situation closely, and will update our customers as the situation develops," the airline said in a statement.
Similarly, Sharjah-based Air Arabia and Dubai-based flyDubai also announced cancellations of their flights to Pakistan.
All the airlines have asked passengers to monitor the situation before making further travel plans.
 anjana@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi