Thai Airways resumes Europe flights amid Pakistan airspace closure

Flights are being routed through Chinese airspace instead

Thai Airways has resumed all Europe flights (Getty Images)

Thai Airways has resumed flights to Europe amid the ongoing closure of Pakistan’s airspace.

The national carrier yesterday cancelled a rash of Europe flights, stranding thousands of passengers at Bangkok’s main airport Suvarnabhumi. Some flights were also forced to turn back.

Europe-bound flights will be routed instead through Chinese airspace, Thai Airways said today.

Pakistan shut its airspace yesterday as tensions continued to grow with India.

The two Thai flights from Bangkok to London will depart as normal today. The carrier flies from Bangkok to 13 destinations in Europe including Frankfurt, Stockholm, Munich and Paris. All flights have resumed, the airline said, although it advised passengers booked onto a Europe-bound flight that they should check with the airline first.

Meanwhile, the closure of Pakistan airspace has meant airlines have been forced to fly longer routes around it.

A flight from Tashkent in Uzbekistan to Amritsar in India would usually take 2.5 hours – but due to overfly restrictions in Pakistan, it took over six hours, according to FlightRadar24.

Other international carriers including British Airways and Singapore Airlines have also had to re-route flights between Europe and Asia.

The UK foreign office warned of “heightened tensions” between India and Pakistan, and advised travellers to check with their airline before travel.