Beijing: 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.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the airline stated 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 was noted that all three flights underwent crew changes and refueling at their respective diversion points before returning to Taiwan. The airline mentioned on its website that these flights will proceed to their original destinations once a new route is planned to avoid the affected region.

China Airlines has activated relevant protocols in response to the force majeure or extraordinary circumstances caused by the India-Pakistan conflict. The airline is continuing to monitor the situation and adjust flight schedules as necessary. Meanwhile, Air China has reported that its flights to Europe and Islamabad in Pakistan are operating as scheduled. An airline officer told Bernama that they are closely monitoring the situation and, for now, flights are operating as scheduled.

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