India Closes 27 Airports Till May 10 Amid Tensions; 430 Flights Cancelled Nationwide

Airport closures in India's central, western, and northern areas have caused severe disruptions to air travel throughout the nation. As tensions continue to rise following India's precision missile strikes under Operation Sindoor, 27 airports have been closed to commercial traffic till 5:29 AM on Saturday, May 10. Both domestic and international airlines have been forced to reroute flights and cancel many flights as a result of these closures.

The Times of India reported that Pakistani airlines cancelled more than 147 flights, or about 17% of their daily operations, while Indian carriers cancelled 430 flights on Thursday alone, or around 3% of their total scheduled services. Important hubs like Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Chandigarh, Amritsar, and Jodhpur are among the Indian airports that are impacted. The suspension also applies to airports that are mostly used for military transportation.

The flight tracking website Flightradar24 said that there were hardly no civilian aircraft operating in the airspace above Pakistan and western India, from Kashmir to Gujarat, on Thursday. Airlines have started diverting their flights to safer airways and avoiding the area completely. The majority of international airlines have chosen to take routes over Mumbai and Ahmedabad rather than entering Pakistani territory.

The restrictions started after airspace alerts were triggered by Indian Armed Forces missile attacks on militant targets in Pakistan. Before Thursday's slew of problems, roughly 250 flights had already been cancelled and operations at 21 airports had already been suspended on Wednesday. The impact is felt throughout the Indian aviation network, affecting airports in Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and portions of Uttar Pradesh and Delhi NCR.

A number of airlines have notified the public and asked travellers to check flight statuses before leaving for the airport. Major Indian airlines have reported flight cancellations, route adjustments, and operational interruptions, including IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air.

According to IndiGo, continuous airspace restrictions were causing disruptions to flights to and from Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Leh, Chandigarh, and Dharamshala. Flights headed for Bikaner have also been impacted. For reservations booked on or before April 22, the airline announced that change and cancellation costs for flights to or from Srinagar would be waived until May 22, 2025.

Until 12 p.m. on May 7, Air India announced that all flights to and from Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Amritsar, Jodhpur, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh, and Rajkot will be cancelled, pending additional information. Due to airspace restrictions, two of its foreign flights to Amritsar were rerouted to Delhi. Additionally, Air India Express acknowledged network-wide disruptions and advised travellers to make sure their contact information was current.

SpiceJet informed of delays to connecting flights and halted flights to and from Dharamshala, Leh, Jammu, Srinagar, and Amritsar. Passengers were instructed by the airline to monitor flight information via official channels.

While acknowledging major service interruptions in the impacted areas, including as Srinagar and Chandigarh, Akasa Air issued a generic advisory without mentioning any specific routes. Travellers were advised to keep an eye on their reservations on the airline's website and customer support hotlines.

The airspace restrictions brought about by the ongoing delicate security situation have caused one of the most extensive disruptions to aviation traffic in recent years, impacting both domestic and international travel.