CHINA AIRLINES CANCELS FLIGHTS AMID PAKISTAN AIRSPACE CLOSURE

By Kisho Kumari Sucedaram

BEIJING, May 7 (Bernama) -- China Airlines has cancelled and diverted three flights to and from Europe following the closure of Pakistani airspace on Tuesday (May 6).

The airline has cancelled flight CI81 (Taoyuan to London) on Wednesday, while flights CI67 (Taoyuan to Prague) and CI75 (Taoyuan to Rome) were cancelled on Tuesday.  

The airline said that flights CI61 (Taoyuan–Frankfurt) and CI73 (Taoyuan–Amsterdam) were diverted to Bangkok on May 6, while flight CI82 (London–Taoyuan) was diverted to Prague.

It said all three flights underwent crew changes and refuelling at their respective diversion points before returning to Taiwan.

“These flights will continue to their original destinations once a new route is planned to avoid the affected region,” the airline said on its website on Wednesday.

China Airlines said it has activated relevant protocols in response to the force majeure or extraordinary circumstances caused by the India-Pakistan conflict and is continuing to monitor the situation and to adjust flight schedules as necessary.

As for Air China, a check on its website showed that flights to Europe and Islamabad in Pakistan were operating as scheduled.

“We are closely monitoring the situation and for now, flights are operating as scheduled,” an airline officer told Bernama when contacted.

The escalation between the neighbours comes in the wake of an April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir in which 26 people were killed.

-- BERNAMA