The armed conflict between India and Pakistan has led to the temporary complete closure of Pakistani airspace, which is usually widely used for routes linking Europe and the Middle East with Asia. Among those affected were a number of lines directly from Russia and many popular tourist transfer routes to India and Southeast Asia, reports Travel.ru's own correspondent.
This has led to the cancellation, delay or increase in travel time of many flights, including from Russia to India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. Airlines from the Middle East and the Persian Gulf, whose popular flights with Russian tourists from their hubs (e.g. Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Istanbul) to Asia passed over Pakistan, are also affected. A number of direct routes from various European countries to Asia have also suffered. In addition, serious problems have arisen for a number of charter flights from Russia to Southeast Asia (mainly to Thailand and Vietnam), which until now had to stop for refueling in Pakistan or India.
Passengers flying on any of these routes should check their departure times carefully before arriving at the airport and be prepared for extended travel times. Flights on any other routes may also be affected if the aircraft operating them was previously delayed on an Asian flight. There is no timeline yet for when flights on the usual routes will resume.
Source: travel.ru
