PIA grounds flights for 12 hours amid India-Pakistan military escalation

KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has canceled all flights for the next 12 hours, a spokesperson announced on Wednesday, as tensions escalated sharply with neighboring India following missile strikes.
The move comes as Pakistan’s military said at least 26 civilians had been killed and 46 injured in Indian attacks on six locations inside Pakistani territory.
India said its forces had launched “Operation Sindoor,” targeting sites it claimed were linked to a recent attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir which it blamed on Pakistan despite Islamabad’s repeated denials.
Pakistan’s information minister, Attaullah Tarar, said the Pakistani military had downed five Indian jets in retaliation for the late-night strikes.
“PIA has currently canceled flights for next 12 hours. Passengers are requested to keep in contact with PIA,” Abdullah Khan, the PIA spokesperson, told Arab News.
He added that flights already airborne had been diverted to Karachi while all ground operations were put on hold.
Despite the cancelations, a source within the Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA) told Arab News the country’s airspace remained open.
“The latest NOTAM cancels previous NOTAM which has closed airspace,” the source said, sharing the latest Notice to Airmen.
Meanwhile, several Asian airlines said they were rerouting or canceling flights to and from Europe because of fighting between India and Pakistan, according to Reuters.
Taiwan’s EVA Air said it would adjust its Europe-bound flights to avoid airspace affected by the conflict.
One flight from Vienna was diverted back, while a Taipei–Milan flight was rerouted to Vienna for refueling before continuing to its destination, the airline said in a statement to Reuters.
Korean Air began rerouting its Seoul Incheon-Dubai flights on Wednesday, opting for a southern route over Myanmar, Bangladesh and India instead of Pakistani airspace.
Thai Airways said flights to Europe and South Asia would be rerouted from early Wednesday morning, warning of potential delays.
Taiwan’s China Airlines also said it had activated its contingency plan and taken measures to ensure passenger and crew safety, though it did not elaborate.
-With Input from Reuters