China reroutes its International flights flying over Pakistan and cancelled all other flights to Pakistan
The official media in Beijing reported this morning that China has cancelled all flights to and from Pakistan and rerouted its international flights flying over Pakistani airspace due to regional tensions.
The closure of Pakistan’s airspace in response to escalating tensions with India disrupted major routes between Europe and South East Asia and left thousands of air travellers stranded worldwide.
Flights from the Middle East that usually fly over Pakistan and the Pakistan-India border will have to re-route over India, Myanmar or central Asia to enter China, civil aviation experts told said the media.
The Beijing Capital International Airport cancelled all flights to and from Pakistan on Wednesday and Thursday, including connecting flights, according to a statement sent to the Global Times by the North China Air Traffic Management Bureau. Whether those flights will fly today as scheduled is still unknown, state-run Global Times reported.
The bureau said that 22 flights fly in and out of Pakistan every week, including two from Air China and other flights from Pakistan International Airlines.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) immediately launched an emergency plan to notify domestic flight companies and cooperate with the air force to ensure the safety of flights and approve temporary flight plans.
Flights to Pakistan have undergone major changes in recent days and the CAAC reminded passengers to check flight information before they make plans, the statement said.
At the request of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the CAAC opened part of China’s airspace and air routes for foreign airlines to re-route, China National Radio reported.
