Operation Sindoor: India accuses Pakistan of using civilian aircraft as shields against India's air response
India on Friday accused Pakistan of using civilian aircraft as shields as it allowed civil aircraft to operate close to the international border on Wednesday (May 7) night even as it launched a failed drone and missile attack at a number of military targets in northern and western India.
'Pakistan's irresponsible behaviour again came to fore. Pakistan did not close its civil airspace, despite it launching a failed unprovoked drone and missile attack on 7th May at 8:30 hours in the evening. Pakistan is using civil airliners as a shield, knowing fully well that its attack on India would elicit a swift air defence response. This is not safe for the unsuspecting civil airliners, including the international flights which were flying near it between India and Pakistan,' Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said at a press briefing on the prevailing situation vis-à-vis Pakistan.
'Indian Air Force demonstrated considerable restraint in its response, thus ensuring safety of international civil carriers,' Singh added.
Quoting flight path data from flight tracking service Flightradar24, Singh gave the example of Saudi Arabian budget airline Flynas flight XY883 from Dammam to Lahore, which departed Dammam at around 5:50 pm UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) on May 7, and landed at the Lahore airport at around 9:10 pm UTC. Indian Standard Time is five-and-a-half hours behind UTC, which means that the flight landed at the Lahore airport at around 2:40 am on May 8.
Lahore, while being a major airport in Pakistan, is also close to that country's international border with India. While New Delhi has suspended commercial flight operations at around 25 airports close to the border with Pakistan in order to keep civilian air traffic away from potential harm, Pakistan has not officially suspended civil flights at its airports close to the border. These airports, however, are seeing a number of delays and cancellations, per flight tracking data.
Notably, after India struck nine locations in Pakistan as part of 'Operation Sindoor', Islamabad had accused New Delhi of endangering commercial airliners and the lives of passengers on board the flights that were in Pakistani airspace at the time. Pakistan had claimed that there were 57 international flights in its airspace when India hit Pakistan with precision strikes in the wee hours on Wednesday.
According to Flightradar24 data reviewed by The Indian Express, there were at least four civilian aircraft in the airspace around the Lahore airport when the Flynas flight was around 20 minutes away from landing there on the night between May 7 and 8. On Thursday night (May 8-9), however, Pakistan's air corridors close to the border with India did not see civil flight movements when Islamabad launched a large-scale drone and missile attack against a number of targets in north and west India, the data shows. Flights were operating in the Pakistani airspace on Thursday night as well, but they were largely limited to the western section bordering Iran.
Most international airlines are avoiding overflying the Pakistani airspace amid soaring tensions between India and Pakistan. Most of the commercial flight activity in the Pakistani airspace is limited to domestic flights or some international flights to and from Pakistani airports.
Sukalp Sharma is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and writes on a host of subjects and sectors, notably energy and aviation. He has over 13 years of experience in journalism with a body of work spanning areas like politics, development, equity markets, corporates, trade, and economic policy. He considers himself an above-average photographer, which goes well with his love for travel. ... Read More
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