US President Donald Trump has said that eight planes were downed in the May 2025 clash between nuclear-armed Pakistan and India.

In an interview with a private TV channel, President Trump said some newspapers had reported that seven or eight planes were shot down during the Pakistan-India war.

He added that one newspaper claimed seven aircraft were downed and another damaged.

“I won’t name any newspaper here — most of them publish false news,” Trump said, adding that, in fact, eight planes were shot down in the recent Pakistan-India war.

Last  month, the US president had said that “seven brand-new and beautiful planes were shot down” during the Pakistan-India war, highlighing the loss of new Delhi in the clashes.      

Trump had also boasted of his role in brokering the ceasefire, claiming he single-handedly averted a potential nuclear confrontation.

While addressing a dinner with business leaders in Japan, Trump had said many of the wars he halted were due to the tariffs he imposed on multiple countries, claiming he did “a great service to the world”.

“If you look at India and Pakistan, they were going at it,” he had said.

“I said to [Indian] Prime Minister Modi and I said to the Prime Minister [Shehbaz Sharif], very nice man, a very good man and the Field Marshal [Asim Munir] over in Pakistan … I said, ‘look we’re not going to do any trade if you’re going to be fighting’,” Trump had said.

“We said ‘no, we’re not doing any deals if you’re going to fight’ and within 24 hours that was the end of that. It was amazing, actually,” he had added. “I think trade is responsible for 70 per cent of the fact that we didn’t have wars.”

Speaking during a Diwali celebration at White House on October 22, Trump said he had told Indian PM Modi that there should be no war with Pakistan, stressing that he had helped avert several conflicts through diplomacy and trade pressure.

The US president had emphasised the outcome, saying, “And we have no war with Pakistan and India. That was a very, very good thing.” He concluded by praising Modi personally: “He’s a great person, and he’s become a great friend of mine over the years.”

The US president had claimed he had prevented eight wars so far through what he described as “deals and trade,” including one between Pakistan and India.

Trump has previously taken credit on several occasions for helping defuse tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, who have fought three wars since independence and remain at odds over the disputed territory of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

In May, Pakistan and Indian engaged in a military showdown, the worst between the old foes in decades, which was sparked by a terrorist attack on tourists in IIOJK’s Pahalgam area, which New Delhi said was backed by Pakistan.

Islamabad denied involvement in the Kashmir attack, which killed 26 men and was the worst assault on civilians in India since the Mumbai attacks in 2008.

After the incident, India killed several innocent civilians in unprovoked attacks on Pakistan for three days before the Pakistan Armed Forces retaliated in defence with the successful Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos.

Pakistan downed seven IAF fighter jets, including three Rafale, and dozens of drones. After at least 87 hours, the war between the two nuclear-armed nations ended on May 10 with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the US. 

• Pakistan downed Indian fighter jets, including 3 Rafale in May.
• Some newspapers reported 7 or 8 planes were shot down: Trump.
• “I got a call, they need peace’: Trump recalls mediation efforts.

US President Donald Trump has revised the number of planes shot down during the Pakistan-India clash in May this year, stating that the tally of the downed jets is “eight essentially”.

Earlier this year, Pakistan and Indian engaged in a military showdown, the worst between the old foes in decades, which was sparked by a terrorist attack on tourists in IIOJK’s Pahalgam area, which New Delhi alleged was backed by Pakistan.

Islamabad denied involvement in the Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 men and offered to participate in a neutral probe into the deadly incident.

During the clashes, Pakistan downed seven Indian fighter jets, including three Rafale, and dozens of drones. After at least 87 hours, the war between the two nuclear-armed nations ended on May 10 with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the US.

Addressing the America Business Forum in Miami on Wednesday, President Trump said some newspapers had reported that seven or eight planes were shot down during the Pakistan-India war.

He added that one newspaper claimed seven aircraft were downed and another damaged.

“I won’t name any newspaper here — most of them publish false news,” Trump said, adding that, in fact, eight planes were shot down in the recent Pakistan-India war.

Recalling his efforts to end military clashes between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May this year, Trump said he was in the middle of signing a trade deal with Pakistan and India when he heard that both the neighbouring countries “were going to war” and it was then that he decided his administration would not make any deal with either country “if they are at war”.

“I was in the midst of a trade deal with both of them. Then I read on the front page of a certain newspaper… they are going to war. Seven or eight planes were shot down. Eight planes were shot down essentially,” Trump said during the business forum.

Trump further said after he threatened to decline trade deals with Pakistan and India, “I got a call, they need peace. They stopped. I said thank you, let’s trade. Isn’t that great?.”

Last month, the US president had said that “seven brand-new and beautiful planes were shot down” during the Pakistan-India war, highlighting the loss of new Delhi in the clashes.

Trump had also boasted of his role in brokering the ceasefire, claiming he single-handedly averted a potential nuclear confrontation.

• Airlines scramble to reduce flights within 36 hours.
• FAA warns more restrictions possible after Friday
• Airline stocks dip as travel disruptions deepen.
  

WASHINGTON/CHICAGO: US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Wednesday that he would order a 10% cut in flights at 40 major US airports, citing air traffic control safety concerns as a government shutdown hit a record 36th day.

The drastic plan sent airlines scrambling to make significant reductions in flights in just 36 hours and passengers flooded airline customer service hotlines with concerns about air travel in the coming days.

Duffy said the cuts could be reversed if Democrats agreed to reopen the government.

The shutdown, the longest in US history, has forced 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration agents to work without pay.

The Trump administration has sought to ramp up pressure on Democrats to end the shutdown and has increasingly raised the specter of dramatic aviation disruptions to force them to vote to reopen the government. Democrats contend Republicans are to blame for refusing to negotiate over key health care subsidies.

Tens of thousands of flights have been delayed since the shutdown began because of widespread air traffic control shortages. Airlines say at least 3.2 million travelers have already been impacted by air traffic control shortages

“We had a gut check of what is our job,” Duffy told reporters, citing a confidential safety assessment of the impact of the shutdown on controllersthat raises concerns about their performance. “Our job to make sure we make the hard decisions to continue to keep the airspace safe.”

At a call with major US carriers, the FAA said capacity reductions at the airports would start at 4%, rising to 5% Saturday and 6% Sunday, before hitting 10% next week, industry sources told Reuters. The FAA also plans to exempt international flights from the cuts.

“When we see pressures building in these 40 markets, we just can’t ignore it,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said at a press conference. “We can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating so the system is extremely safe today, will be extremely safe tomorrow.”

While the government did not name the 40 airports affected, the cuts were expected to hit the 30 busiest airports including those serving New York City, Washington, DC, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Dallas. This would reduce as many as 1,800 flights and over 268,000 airline seats, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

The move is aimed at taking pressure off air traffic controllers. The FAA is about 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels and many had been working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks even before the shutdown.

The FAA also warned that it could add more flight restrictions after Friday if further air traffic issues emerge.

Airlines for America, a trade group representing major US carriers such as Delta DAL.N, United UAL.O, American, and Southwest LUV.N, said its members were trying to understand the next steps.

“We are working with the federal government to understand all details of the new reduction mandate and will strive to mitigate impacts to passengers and shippers,” it said.

Officials said nothing would be final until the FAA published an order on Thursday.

The federal government has mostly closed as Republicans and Democrats are locked in a standoff in Congress over a funding bill. Democrats have insisted they would not approve a plan that does not extend health insurance subsidies, while Republicans have rejected that.

President Donald Trump and Republicans have been trying to intensify pressure on Democrats by increasing the pain felt by average Americans from the government shutdown.

The closure, which began October 1, left many low-income Americans without food assistance, closed many government services and led to the furlough of about 750,000 federal employees.

Duffy had warned on Tuesday that if the federal government shutdown continued another week, it could lead to “mass chaos” and force him to close some of the national airspace to air traffic.

Airlines have repeatedly urged an end to the shutdown, citing aviation safety risks.

Airline stocks dip 

Shares of major airlines including United and American were down about 1% in extended trading.

Airlines said the shutdown has not significantly affected their business but have warned bookings could drop if it drags on. More than 2,100 flights were delayed on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Bedford said that 20% to 40% of controllers at the agency’s 30 largest airports were failing to show up for work.

Duffy said the authorities would also limit space launches to certain times of the day and are expected to impose restrictions on general aviation flights.