Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority said it would keep airspace closed until 11.59pm local time (1859 GMT), disrupting major routes between Europe and South East Asia (Lillian SUWANRUMPHA)

London (AFP) – Thousands of air travellers worldwide were left stranded on Thursday after Pakistan closed its airspace in response to escalating tensions with India.

Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said it would keep airspace shut until 11.59pm local time (1859 GMT), disrupting major routes between Europe and South East Asia.

Thai Airways has cancelled nearly 30 flights, affecting 5,000 passengers.

“All THAI flights from Bangkok to Europe departing near midnight of 27 FEB through early 28 FEB and from Europe to Bangkok departing on 27 FEB have been cancelled due to Pakistan airspace closure,” the airline wrote on its Twitter page.

The decision affected its services to London, Munich, Paris, Brussels, Milan, Vienna, Stockholm, Zurich, Copenhagen and Oslo, but the airline said at around 0530 GMT that it was resuming normal operations to Europe.

Singapore Airlines’ was also forced to direct flights to Europe to re-fuel, while a flight to Frankfurt was cancelled. 

The crisis between nuclear-armed neighbours Pakistan and India has raised fears of an all-out war.

Pakistan said it would release a captured Indian pilot on Friday, in an overture towards New Delhi.

India earlier said its forces had also shot down a Pakistani fighter jet as Pakistan suddenly closed its airspace early Wednesday.

The CAA said Thursday morning that it had temporarily restored its airspace, with three flights departing from Pakistan as of 1000 GMT.

They were an Emirates service from Peshawar to Dubai, an Air Arabia flight from Peshawar to Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE and a Qatar Airways flight from Peshawar to Doha.

– Atmosphere ‘not good’ –

Emirates was earlier forced to cancel 10 return flights to Pakistan while Qatar Airways pulled flights to Peshawar, Faisalabad, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and Multan.

Saudi Airlines also suspended all flights to Pakistan “until further notice”.

In Russia, two flights from Moscow to Vietnam and St. Petersburg to Thailand had to turn back to Russia while a Bangkok-bound flight had to land at Uzbekistan. 

Air Canada suspended flights to Mumbai and New Delhi, diverting an India-bound flight back to Toronto, while seven services from Istanbul to Pakistan were cancelled.

The closure affected Thai Airways flights to Scandinavia and Pakistani International Airlines flights to Copenhagen, with local television station TV2 television reporting that 25 Danish students were stuck at Bangkok airport. 

“The atmosphere is not very good right now. We try to keep up the morale, but it’s difficult,” said student Sara Bjerregaard Larsen, adding that many were in tears. 

Thai Airways struggled to find new routes to Europe with Iran “rejecting” a request to travel over its airspace, according to a spokesperson for the carrier.

But a few hours later China gave “permission to Thai Airways … to bypass Pakistani airspace,” according to Pratana Patanasiri, Thai Airways Vice President, allowing Thursday night’s flights to Europe to resume. 

But frustration mounted Thursday at Bangkok’s main airport at the sudden delays.

“We have waited here for 11 or 12 hours already,” said Gerda Heinzel 55, a German tourist returning to Munich after a holiday in Phuket.

“We have not been given anything to eat, anywhere to stay. There are no German-speaking staff to help us.”

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