appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Ernest Kao

Diplomatic tensions on the Indian subcontinent have had a knock-on effect on air travel, with at least one flight servicing Hong Kong affected by the recent closure of Pakistan’s airspace.
Cathay Pacific said on Thursday its daily Hong Kong-Dubai service had to be diverted south, resulting in minor delays to arrivals.
“Our passenger services between Hong Kong and Dubai have been adjusted to operate south of Pakistan airspace. This results in an additional five to 10 minutes’ flight time,” a spokesman said. None of its other services are routed through Pakistan’s airspace.
The carrier also said rebooking and re-routing charges would be waived for all tickets issued worldwide on or before the closure of airspace in northern India for Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon flights to and from New Delhi between Wednesday and Thursday.
On Wednesday, Pakistan announced that it would shut its airspace until further notice amid simmering tensions with its neighbour.


Events began to escalate after Pakistan on Wednesday shot down two Indian military jets it said had crossed the Line of Control – the de facto border dividing the two countries in the disputed Kashmir region – and captured a pilot. This was a day after Indian warplanes – in what is believed to be its first attack inside Pakistan since the two fought a war in 1971 – strafed militants at a training base in Pakistan. The militants were believed to be responsible for killing 40 Indian paramilitary troops in Kashmir two weeks ago.


At least six Indian airports were also temporarily shut but later reopened. A vast area north of Delhi was also closed to civilian flights.
The Hong Kong Airport Authority, which manages the city’s international airport, said there were no direct flights to and from Pakistan so the overall impact on flight operations would be small.
“At this stage, we have not heard of any adverse impact involving flights to and from India,” an authority spokesman said.

Civic Party lawmaker Jeremy Tam Man-ho, who is also a commercial pilot, said such a re-routing was necessary for safety reasons and would have a considerable effect on operations.
“A five- to 10-minute delay would mean burning roughly one extra tonne of fuel,” he said.
Flights to the Middle East and some to southern Europe would be affected most, Tam added.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, China’s civil aviation authority received a request from the International Civil Aviation Organisation to open up its air space for foreign airlines to re-route.
As of 10am, seven flights from Chinese airlines had made the adjustment to their route, while 40 flights from foreign airlines had.
Several international flights, particularly those from Europe to the Middle East and Asia have been affected by the events, though most do not affect Hong Kong directly.

British Airways said it was also re-routing some services around Pakistani airspace and this would cause minor delays of around 30 minutes for a handful of flights.
Singapore Airlines said flights from Singapore to London and Frankfurt had to make refuelling stops in Dubai and Mumbai respectively before proceeding to their destinations on Wednesday.
“All other flights that overfly affected airspace will be re-routed, but are due to operate as scheduled at this point,” the airline said.
Passenger anger at Hong Kong airport after delays
Lufthansa Airways said routes to India and connections to Bangkok and Singapore were affected.
“We are already preparing adjusted routings and will increase the amount of additional fuel in the event of delays. Some traffic rights for the new routing must also be secured,” a spokesman said. “Overall, it is expected that there will be hardly any major impact on flight operations.”
Qatar Airways said flights to certain Pakistani cities would be delayed or suspended.
“Flights to other destinations close to this region may experience delays as they divert around the closed airspace,” it said.


Hong Kong on way to securing green fuel supply to safeguard aviation hub status

Cathay calls on Hong Kong to map out long-term sustainable fuel plan beyond 2030

Hong Kong targets 240 air destinations by 2030, eyeing new Uzbekistan routes

China airports climb global-connectivity ranking as international routes rise: OAG report

Hong Kong aviation

India-Pakistan tensions having an impact on air travel as flights to and from Hong Kong are diverted

Cathay Pacific said on Thursday its daily Hong Kong-Dubai service had to be diverted south, resulting in minor delays to arrivals. Photo: Winson Wong

Lawmaker Jeremy Tam Man-ho attends the Legislative Council Meeting on the consideration of amendments to the Appropriation Bill 2018 at the Legislative Council in Tamar. 09MAY18 SCMP / Sam Tsang

Dubai is aiming to be the busiest international passenger airport in the world by 2015 leapfrogging the current top three - London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Hong Kong – to handle 75.3 million passengers, rising to 98.5 million travellers by 2020. Credit: Dubai Airports

News

Hong Kong

Transport

Asia

Cathay Pacific says it has re-routed its Hong Kong-Dubai service south of Pakistan after Islamabad closed its airspace
Flights to and from Europe and the Middle East may also be affected


Cathay Pacific says it has re-routed its Hong Kong-Dubai service south of Pakistan after Islamabad closed its airspace. Flights to and from Europe and the Middle East may also be affected.


India-Pakistan tensions having an impact on air travel as flights to and from Hong Kong are diverted

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Cathay Pacific says it has re-routed its Hong Kong-Dubai service south of Pakistan after Islamabad closed its airspace Flights to and from Europe and the Middle East may also be affected

Cathay Pacific says it has re-routed its Hong Kong-Dubai service south of Pakistan after Islamabad closed its airspace

Flights to and from Europe and the Middle East may also be affected