New Delhi/ Mumbai: More than 200 flights have been cancelled and at least 18 airports, including Srinagar, have been temporarily shut for operations amid restrictions in the wake of the armed forces launching missile attacks on terror targets in Pakistan on Wednesday morning.
Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet, Air India Express, Akasa Air, and a few foreign airlines have cancelled their services to and from various airports.
Sources said that at least 18 airports in the northern and western parts of the country have been temporarily shut. These airports include Srinagar, Leh, Jammu, Amritsar, Pathankot, Chandigarh, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Shimla, Dharamshala and Jamnagar, they added.
According to one of the sources, more than 200 flights to and from various airports have been cancelled by airlines.
IndiGo said it has cancelled more than 165 flights from various domestic airports, including Amritsar and Srinagar, till early morning of May 10 due to airspace restrictions.
“Air India flights to and from the following stations, Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh, and Rajkot, are being cancelled till 0529 hrs IST on 10 May following a notification from aviation authorities on the closure of these airports,” the airline said.
In a post on X, the airline also said passengers holding valid tickets for travel during this period will be offered a one-time waiver on rescheduling charges or a full refund for cancellations.
“Due to government notification on airspace restrictions, over 165 IndiGo flights from multiple airports (Amritsar, Bikaner, Chandigarh, Dharamshala, Gwalior, Jammu, Jodhpur, Kishangarh, Leh, Rajkot, and Srinagar) are cancelled until 0529 hrs. IST of 10 May 2025,” IndiGo said in a statement.
The airline also said that passengers whose flights are affected can reschedule the booking on the next available flight or opt to cancel their bookings at no additional cost, and a full refund will be processed.
IndiGo operates around 2,200 flights daily.
In an update on X, SpiceJet said airports in parts of northern India, including Dharamshala, Leh, Jammu, Srinagar, and Amritsar are closed until further notice. Departures, arrivals, and consequential flights may be impacted. The affected passengers can opt for a full refund or an alternate flight as per availability, it added.
At least 35 flights to and from the Delhi airport, the country’s largest and busiest airport, have been cancelled since 12 am, one of the sources said.
The source said that 23 domestic departures and eight arrivals were cancelled. Besides, four international departures were cancelled. Foreign carriers, including American Airlines, cancelled some of their services from the Delhi airport.
“Due to notification from the airport authorities, flights to and from Amritsar, Gwalior, Jammu, Srinagar and Hindon are cancelled till 05.30 hrs on 10th May 2025.
Akasa Air, in a post on X, said that due to the prevailing situation in the region, all its flights to and from Srinagar have been cancelled.
Regional carrier Star Air said its flights to/from Nanded, Hindon, Adampur, Kishangarh and Bhuj stand cancelled for the day.
“Kindly note, due to changing airspace conditions some flights have been impacted at Delhi Airport,” DIAL said in a post on X.
Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) operates the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).
Meanwhile, Qatar Airways, in a post on X, said it has temporarily suspended flights to Pakistan due to Pakistani airspace closure.
In retaliation against the Pahalgam terror attack, Indian armed forces, under Operation Sindoor, on early Wednesday, carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba’s base in Muridke.–(PTI)
