This aims to ease transportation to and from Dubai Airport
uae1 hour ago
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
This aims to ease transportation to and from Dubai Airport
uae1 hour ago
Pets suffer nosebleeds, severe skin rashes and lapses into unconsciousness in a relentless hot weather over the past week
asia1 hour ago
The airline warned there could be delays due to rain and heavy traffic
uae2 hours ago
As the climate warms due to the burning of fossil fuels, heatwaves are lasting longer and reaching greater peaks as average temperatures rise
world2 hours ago
This distinguished event serves as a platform to acknowledge remarkable contributions and innovative brilliance within the healthcare sector
kt network2 hours ago
The tennis tournament in Paris Olympics takes place at Roland Garros where Nadal has won a record 14 French Open singles titles
tennis2 hours ago
The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority on Monday announced its preparedness for the unstable weather conditions
uae2 hours ago
Al Ain, which beat Saudi giants Al Hilal and Al Nassr, will will face Yokohama F Marinos in the final
football2 hours ago