NEW DELHI, May 9: The Centre has extended the closure of 24 airports across the country till the morning of May 15, as tensions escalate between New Delhi and Islamabad following “Operation Sindoor” and a series of foiled drone attacks by Pakistani army.
On Thursday, the Civil Aviation Ministry had announced that 24 airports would be closed for civil flight operations till May 10. Airports will be closed till May 15 in cities such as Chandigarh, Srinagar, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Bhuntar, Kishangarh, Patiala, Shimla, Jaisalmer, Pathankot, Jammu, Bikaner, Leh, Porbander and others.
Several airlines have also issued travel advisories for passengers and asked for them to remain updated on airport closures and enhanced security protocols.
Air India in a post on X on Friday stated, “Following a notification from aviation authorities on continued closure of multiple airports in India, Air India flights to and from the following stations – Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Bhuj, Jamnagar and Rajkot – are being cancelled till 0529 hrs IST on 15 May, pending further updates.”
They added, “Customers holding valid tickets for travel during this period will be offered a one-time waiver on rescheduling charges or a full refund for cancellations.”
In a post on X, IndiGo said all flights to and from Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Leh, Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Bikaner, Rajkot, Jodhpur and Kishangarh, would remain cancelled until 5:30 am on May 15 due to temporary airport closures.
At Delhi’s IGI airport, authorities stated that flight operations had been affected due to tightened security protocol. A total of 66 domestic departures and 63 arrivals, as well as 5 international departures and 4 arrivals, were cancelled between 5 am and 2 pm on Friday.
“Delhi airport operations remain normal. However, due to evolving airspace conditions and heightened security measures, some flight schedules and security processing timings may be impacted,’ DIAL said in a post on X.
Security measures at airports have increased after the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that led to the death of 26 civilians on April 22 and subsequent Indian retaliatory measures.
(Manas Dasgupta)
