Foreign airlines closely monitoring situation amid escalation in India-Pakistan tensions

New Delhi, May 8 (PTI) Against the backdrop of escalating tensions between India and Pakistan as well as airspace curbs, foreign airlines are closely monitoring the situation and most of them are avoiding the Pakistan airspace.

India has closed its airspace for Pakistan airlines from April 30 while Pakistan barred Indian carriers from using its airspace. The developments followed the Pahalgam terror attack that killed at least 26 people on April 22.

German major Lufthansa Group on Thursday said it is continuing to monitor the current developments closely.

"Due to the current situation, the airlines of the Lufthansa Group are avoiding the airspace of Pakistan until further notice. This will result in longer flight times on some routes to Asia, including, but not limited to, India.

"We regret any inconvenience caused by the resulting delays and kindly ask all passengers to check their flight status in the app or on the website before departure," it said in a statement.

Lufthansa operates 64 weekly flights to 5 Indian cities.

British carrier Virgin Atlantic said it has been closely monitoring developments between India and Pakistan and following an escalation in the region, "we have made the decision to avoid Pakistani airspace, resulting in some pre-planned rerouting of our London to Delhi flights".

The airline will continue to assess the situation and provide updates on any further operational changes as necessary, the carrier said in a statement.

Virgin Atlantic has 35 weekly flights connecting Indian cities.

"Safety and security are always our highest priorities and we continuously assess and adjust our operations accordingly," British Airways said in a statement. The airline has 56 weekly flights to India.

In retaliation against the Pahalgam terror attack, Indian armed forces, under Operation Sindoor, on early Wednesday, carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. PTI RAM HVA