Malaysia Airlines, Batik Air suspend Amritsar and Lahore flights as India-Pakistan tensions escalate
Two of Malaysia Airlines' long-haul flights have since been re-routed — flights MH2 to London Heathrow and MH22 to Paris Charles de Gaulle were diverted yesterday for a refuelling stop in Doha, Qatar, before continuing to their destinations. – Malay Mail photo
KUALA LUMPUR (May 6): Local carriers Malaysia Airlines and Batik Air have temporarily suspended their services between Kuala Lumpur and Amritsar in India and Lahore in Pakistan, amid recent military skirmishes between the two sides.
Two of Malaysia Airlines' long-haul flights have since been re-routed — flights MH2 to London Heathrow and MH22 to Paris Charles de Gaulle were diverted yesterday for a refuelling stop in Doha, Qatar, before continuing to their destinations.
'We will continue to take all necessary measures to ensure safe and reliable operations,' the airline said in a statement.
The move came following the closure of Amritsar Airport from May 7 to 9, citing concerns regarding regional security.
Earlier, Batik Air announced the cancellation of its flights to the two destinations for today and tomorrow, following the ongoing situation between both countries.
'The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority,' it said in a statement.
'Batik Air is closely monitoring the situation in coordination with relevant authorities and will provide timely updates as new information becomes available.'
AFP reported that clashes between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan today sent airlines worldwide scrambling to cancel, divert or reroute flights.
The neighbours and longtime rivals exchanged heavy artillery fire along their contested frontier after India launched missile strikes in retaliation for a deadly terror attack last month.
At least 36 deaths were reported so far. Islamabad said 26 civilians were killed by the Indian strikes and firing along the border, while New Delhi said at least eight died from Pakistani shelling. – Malay Mail
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sinar Daily
2 hours ago
- Sinar Daily
Boeing shares drop nearly five per cent after Air India crash
The fatal crash involving an Air India 787-8 Dreamliner, marked the first such accident for the aircraft model. 13 Jun 2025 11:05am The back of Air India flight 171 is pictured at the site after it crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025. - (Photo by SAM PANTHAKY / AFP) ISTANBUL - Boeing shares fell nearly five per cent on Thursday following a fatal crash involving an Air India 787-8 Dreamliner, marking the first such accident for the aircraft model, Anadolu Ajansi reported. Air India Flight AI171, carrying 242 people, crashed into a medical college shortly after take-off from the city of Ahmedabad in the western Indian state of Gujarat. Firefighters carry a victim's body after the Air India flight 171 crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025. - (Photo by SAM PANTHAKY / AFP) Among the passengers were 169 Indian nationals, 53 UK citizens, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian. The crew included two pilots and 10 cabin crew members. The price of a Boeing share in New York was $203.75 as of 16:15 EDT. - BERNAMA More Like This
The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
Air India crash rocks Boeing leadership
SEATTLE: Boeing leadership was back in crisis mode on Thursday following the deadly crash of an Air India 787-8 Dreamliner jet minutes after take-off earlier in the day. The planemaker's new CEO Kelly Ortberg had been set to head to the Paris Air Show, the industry's biggest event of the year, after several key accomplishments in recent weeks as he tries to rebuild public trust in Boeing following a series of safety and production crises. But his plan to attend the show next week with Boeing Commercial Airplanes head Stephanie Pope has been scrapped, Ortberg said, as the company focuses on the investigation into the first-ever crash of a 787 jet, its most advanced model. 'As our industry prepares to start the Paris Air Show, Stephanie (Pope) and I have both canceled plans to attend so we can be with our team, and focus on our customer and the investigation,' Ortberg wrote in a message to employees on Thursday evening that was seen by Reuters. The Air India plane bound for London crashed in the Indian city of Ahmedabad, killing nearly all of the 242 people on board, in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. Air safety experts have said that at this time there is no reason to think a manufacturing or design problem was the cause, but the reason for the air disaster is not clear. 'Safety is foundational to our industry and is at the core of everything that we do,' Ortberg told employees. 'Our technical experts are prepared to assist investigators to understand the circumstances, and a Boeing team stands ready to travel to India.' The biggest challenge for Boeing could be getting lay people to understand that while a jet it made crashed, it is unlikely that Boeing is at fault, said John Nance, an aviation safety expert and former commercial pilot. Of course, accident investigators will consider every possibility, he added. With public perception of the planemaker still on shaky ground, that will fall to Boeing executives to address. Ortberg has been trying to move the company past a series of regulatory and safety crises, and was heading into the Paris Air Show after a busy month that included more than 300 new orders and a ramp-up in 737 production. 'Previous production issues at Boeing will be very much on people's minds at the moment and the relatively new leadership at Boeing needs to be visible in the days to come,' said Paul Charles, CEO of the PC Agency, a London-based luxury travel consultancy. Boeing shares closed 4.8% lower on Thursday. Boeing was deemed responsible for three high-profile accidents involving 737 MAX narrow-body planes in recent years, including two fatal crashes. A January 2024 incident, when a door plug blew off a new plane mid-flight, damaged its reputation and led to the departure of then-CEO Dave Calhoun, as well as head of commercial planes and its board chair. The Air India plane that crashed in the city of Ahmedabad was more than a decade old. It first flew in late 2013 and was delivered to Air India in January 2014. Since then, it accumulated more than 41,000 flight hours, including 420 hours during 58 flights in May and 165 hours during 21 flights in June, according to Cirium, an aviation data analytics firm, and FlightRadar24, a flight tracking website. Before the crash, airline executives had voiced greater confidence in Boeing's rebound in deliveries and in Ortberg's leadership after years of reputational damage for the planemaker. The public has not yet caught on, however. Last month, the Axios Harris poll of 100 recognizable corporate brands by reputation put Boeing at 88th, same as in 2024. The wide-body 787 planes have had a strong safety record. They were grounded in 2013 due to battery issues, but no one was reported injured. Boeing's narrowbody 737 MAX jets were grounded for years following two fatal crashes and have faced years of scrutiny and production delays. – Reuters
The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
India may ground Air India's Boeing 787 fleet: NDTV
NEW DELHI: The Indian government is considering grounding Air India's Boeing 787 fleet, Indian broadcaster NDTV reported on Friday, a day after one of the airline's aircraft of the same make crashed in Ahmedabad city, killing more than 240 people. -- More to follow
