Pakistan airspace closure unlikely to have 'major' impact on operations: Lufthansa

German airlines group Lufthansa Thursday said the closure of Pakistan airspace is unlikely to have any "major" impact on its operations even as advised its customers to consult its website and check the flight status before flying. Following the Pakistan government's decision to shut its airspace Wednesday in the wake of developments along the Western borders of India, the airlines are rerouting the West-bound traffic to and from India.

"With immediate effect, Pakistan has closed its airspace due to the current dispute with India. In addition to our routes to India, connections to Bangkok and Singapore are also affected. We are already preparing adjusted routings and will increase the amount of additional fuel in the event of delays," a Lufthansa group said in a statement. Some traffic rights for the new routing must also be secured, it said adding, "overall, it is to be expected that there will be hardly any major impact on flight operations." Thousands of flights have reportedly been disrupted across the world due to the closure of the Pakistan airspace.

The national airport's operator Airports Authority of India has also introduced contingency procedures/routes to facilitate the transit of overflying flights across the Indian Peninsula. In order to achieve that, a sample simulation study of expected traffic was done and various NOTAMS (Notice to airmen) were taken Wednesday night, which contained guidelines for flights/ATC for planning their flights," AAI said in a statement. Notam, or notice to airmen, is given to pilots and include information on potential hazards on a flight route.