Latest: Passengers hopeful flights will resume as Pakistan reopens air space after ceasefire
Airlines have cancelled and rerouted flights over South Asia after India struck a series of sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Gulf carriers Emirates, Etihad and Qatar were among those to halt flights from Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha to airports in northern India and Pakistan, which has closed all airspace.
Read next: India and Pakistan announce closure of airports
Etihad said it had rerouted planes mid-flight. IndiGo and SpiceJet also issued warnings.
“Airports in parts of northern India, including Dharamshala, Leh, Jammu, Srinagar and Amritsar, are closed until further notice,” SpiceJet said early on Wednesday morning.
Emirates has cancelled flights between Dubai and destinations including Sialkot, Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar.
“Customers on cancelled flights must not proceed to the airport in Pakistan. Flights to/from Karachi are not impacted and will be operating as per schedule,” a statement read.
Etihad said: “As a result of the closure of Pakistani airspace, Etihad Airways flights – EY284 (Abu Dhabi to Lahore), EY296 (Abu Dhabi to Karachi), and EY302 (Abu Dhabi to Islamabad) – which were en route to Pakistan on 6 May, have returned to Abu Dhabi.”
The airline said that Karachi to Abu Dhabi, Lahore to Abu Dhabi and Islamabad to Abu Dhabi were suspended.
Also affected was flydubai, with some of the budget airline's flights suspended or diverted earlier on Wednesday. Flights to Karachi continued to operate and other routes were starting to resume services.
"Flydubai flights to Karachi on May 7 are operating to schedule and we have also resumed our operations to Faisalabad, Lahore, Multan and Sialkot," said a representative.
"We continue to monitor the situation closely and the safety of our passengers and crew is our priority. We apologise for the inconvenience caused to our passengers’ travel schedules."
UAE-based Air Arabia also had to make changes to schedules as a result of the conflict.
"Air Arabia has cancelled flights to and from Pakistan from both Sharjah and Abu Dhabi due to the closure of certain airports in Pakistan," said a representative.
"We advise all passengers to check the status of their flights before proceeding to the airport, either by visiting our official website or contacting our call centre. We regret any inconvenience caused, as the safety of our passengers and crew remains our top priority."
Costly conflict
Continued fighting between the nations would be bad news for the air industry, warned one expert.
"Prolonged skirmishes between the two countries simply means that they'll be treated as too risky and flights from non-Indian and Pakistani airlines will diminish quite rapidly," said Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at StrategicAero Research.
"In the short term, the obvious risk to airlines that operate to both countries means cancellations, uncertainty and short term costs in terms of refunds and aircraft and crew out of place. Depending on how Pakistan responds and of course if India counters, this sadly could be a protracted tit for tat type event as both posture for favourable media and political coverage."
The cost, to India's airline industry in particular, could be significant, added Mr Ahmad.
"India has a lot more to lose, given that it has more airlines that use Pakistani airspace. We're already seeing fuel stops by Indian airlines," he said. "How long can they absorb those sorts of costs given how poorly run many Indian airlines are already?"
The raising of the stakes between India and Pakistan will also have significant repercussions for the GCC region, he warned.
"GCC airlines have a huge footprint in both nations and they'll be keen to ensure clarity for operations so that don't position airplanes and staff for flights which then get cancelled," said Mr Ahmad. "While these are popular countries for GCC expats to travel to, they traditionally are high volume and lower yield. In addition, any prolonged skirmishes between the two countries simply means that they'll be treated as too risky and flights from non-Indian and Pakistani airlines will diminish quite rapidly."
One potential effect could be more people using the UAE as a hub for connecting flights, if India and Pakistan were out of bounds, suggested Mr Ahmad.
"Many travellers will simply avoid flying Indian or Pakistani airlines and instead opt to fly to hubs like Dubai and continue their European or North American flights that way and reduce the risk of their flights being cancelled," he said.
International air routes affected
Taiwan's EVA Air said that it will adjust its flights to and from Europe to avoid airspace affected by fighting between India and Pakistan for safety reasons.
One flight from Vienna will be diverted back to that city, while a flight from Taipei to Milan will be diverted to Vienna for refuelling before continuing on to its destination.
Korean Air said it had began rerouting its Seoul Incheon–Dubai flights on Wednesday, opting for a southern route that passes over Myanmar, Bangladesh, and India, instead of the previous path through Pakistani airspace.
Thai Airways said that flights to destinations in Europe and South Asia would be rerouted starting early Wednesday morning, warning this could cause delays to some flights.
The website of Taiwan's main international airport at Taoyuan, outside Taipei, showed that Wednesday's China Airlines non-stop flight to London had been cancelled.
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Netherlands v UAE, Twenty20 International series
Saturday, August 3 - First T20i, Amstelveen
Monday, August 5 – Second T20i, Amstelveen
Tuesday, August 6 – Third T20i, Voorburg
Thursday, August 8 – Fourth T20i, Vooryburg
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Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Game is on BeIN Sports
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Essentials
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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2 David Dekker (NED) Team Jumbo-Visma
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Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
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Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
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Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
if you go
The flights
Flydubai offers three daily direct flights to Sarajevo and, from June, a daily flight from Thessaloniki from Dubai. A return flight costs from Dhs1,905 including taxes.
The trip
The Travel Scientists are the organisers of the Balkan Ride and several other rallies around the world. The 2018 running of this particular adventure will take place from August 3-11, once again starting in Sarajevo and ending a week later in Thessaloniki. If you’re driving your own vehicle, then entry start from €880 (Dhs 3,900) per person including all accommodation along the route. Contact the Travel Scientists if you wish to hire one of their vehicles.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
