Emirates flight to Delhi diverted due to closure of Karachi airspace
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New Delhi : An Emirates flight from Dubai to Delhi was diverted on Wednesday after Karachi airspace was closed amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.
The Boeing 777 300 aircraft, which took off from Dubai at 10.30 a.m., half an hour behind schedule, landed at Ahmedabad airport at 2.45 p.m. for refuelling.
Before landing, the plane’s captain announced that it had to be diverted because it was denied permission to fly over Karachi airspace. The flight was grounded at Ahmedabad for an hour.
Tensions have erupted between India and Pakistan following the Indian Air Force (IAF) jets bombing the biggest training camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) outfit in Balakot on Tuesday.
The IAF on Wednesday chased away intruding Pakistani fighter jets in Jammu and Kashmir’s Nowshera sector.
Reports said that Pakistan has banned any Indian aircraft from using their airspace and that Pakistan’s Air Traffic Control has banned any aircraft from flying below 32,000 feet.
Published on: Feb 27, 2019 at 16:08 IST
IANS
