Soon after India's strikes, the FlightRadar24 map showed several flights in the Pakistani airspace re-routing. The airspace was cleared, as locals posted videos about flight cancellations.
In a post on social media, Qatar Airways said it has temporarily suspended flights to Pakistan due to the Pakistani airspace closure. “The airline is closely monitoring the situation and will continue to prioritise the safety of its passengers and crew,” it said on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.
Meanwhile, US had updated its travel advisory for Pakistan to ‘Level 3: Reconsider Travel’ on March 7. In the description, the State Department warned its citizens about travel to the Asian country ‘due to terrorism and the potential for armed conflict’.
It asked Americans to not travel to the ‘immediate vicinity of the India-Pakistan border and the Line of Control due to terrorism and the potential for armed conflict’.
“Do not travel to the India-Pakistan border, including areas along the Line of Control for any reason. Militant groups are known to operate in the area. India and Pakistan maintain a strong military presence on their respective sides of the border. The only official Pakistan-India border crossing point for persons who are not citizens of India or Pakistan is in the Province of Punjab between Wagah, Pakistan, and Atari, India,” the advisory added.
Canada maintains its regional advisory for Pakistan, asking citizens to ‘avoid all travel’ to the area within 50 km of the border with Afghanistan and the areas within 10 km of the borders with China, India and Iran.