KUALA LUMPUR: Low cost carrier, AirAsia has sent out travel alerts on its North India destinations as tension between India and Pakistan escalates.
“We are closely monitoring the situation in Northern India and any impact to our Amritsar and Srinagar services. Guests are encouraged to monitor their flight status at http://airasia.com/flightstatus,” it said via its official twitter handle.
Meanwhile, Indian Airlines reportedly halted services to north Indian cities namely Amritsar, Chandigarh, Dehradum, Jammu, Leh and Srinagar as the tension escalated.
The Associated Press also tweeted that Pakistan’s Civil Aviation has said that it shut its airspace to all commercial flights as tension between New Delhi and Islamabad, the two countries with nuclear weapons, snowballed since a terror attack in Pulwama, India, on Feb 14, 2019, that killed over 40 over people and injured dozens more.
According to reports, the Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the attack.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the recent tensions between India and Pakistan was a matter of great concern for Malaysia.
“As a country with close and abiding relations with both countries, we encourage them to exercise maximum restraint and to re-engage in dialogue and negotiations.
“Like many other countries, Malaysia aims at the creation of a peaceful and stable international order,” the ministry said in a statement.
In view of the gravity of this issue, the ministry advised Malaysians that they should postpone non-essential travel, particularly to the areas directly affected.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the High Commission of Malaysia in New Delhi and the High Commission of Malaysia in Islamabad, will continue to monitor the situation and be in close contact with local authorities for the latest update.” — Bernama
