by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:16 AM ET, Wed February 27, 2019
Update: February 28, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. ET
Pakistan air space remained temporarily closed for a second straight day Thursday, snarling air travel for many passengers traveling between Europe and Asia.
According to the Associated Press, Bangkok airport officials said over 4,000 travelers were affected by the ongoing conflict between the neighboring nations. Meanwhile, more than one-quarter of all flights at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport (more than 400 total) have been delayed as of 3 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET) Thursday, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.com.
Some airlines have begun rerouting flights to avoid flying over Pakistan, a move that's likely to prove costly as it will require additional fuel.
Pakistan aviation authorities said the country's air space would reopen by midnight Thursday, the AP reported.
Several airlines serving the Middle East have been forced to suspend flights to Pakistan Wednesday after the nation closed its air space as tensions continued to rise with neighboring India.
According to Reuters.com, the Pakistani military carried out air strikes and shot down two Indian air force planes Wednesday, just a day after India launched an airstrike in Pakistan for the first time since a war in 1971.
As a result of the attacks, carriers such as Emirates, Etihad, flydubai, Gulf Air, Qatar Airways and SriLankan Airlines have all suspended services to Pakistan. Other airlines such as Singapore Airlines and British Airways were also forced to reroute flights.
Many travelers scheduled to fly over India and Pakistan to Europe, the Middle East or Asia in the coming days have been routed through Mumbai to avoid Pakistani air space. India's state-run carrier Air India has also canceled its flights to Kabul.
In addition, Indian aviation officials temporarily closed several airports in the northern part of the country Wednesday after Pakistani warplanes reportedly flew over the border into the Indian side of Kashmir.
The airport closures in India caused widespread flight cancellations for carriers such as IndiGo, GoAir, Jet Airways and Vistara, which serve the region.
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