India has introduced momentary closure of 32 airports throughout northern and western India for civil plane operations amid rising tensions with Pakistan over the previous three days. The operations will stay suspended until 5:29 am India time on Might 15, in line with a sequence of Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) issued on Friday by India’s aviation authorities.
Following India’s precision strikes at 9 places in Pakistan as a part of ‘Operation Sindoor’ within the wee hours on Wednesday, New Delhi had introduced closure of round 25 airports — near the India-Pakistan border or housed at key Indian Air Pressure bases — initially until Saturday 5:29 am with a view to maintain civilian air visitors away from potential hurt.
However with tensions escalating and Pakistan resorting to large-scale drone and missile assaults at Indian army installations in northern and western India, and India’s proportionate army response to Pakistan, the momentary closure of airports has been prolonged not less than until Might 15 morning, and some extra airports have been added to the listing.
Barring just a few, the vast majority of these airports are positioned at defence airfields, with some seeing solely a handful of business flights every day. Flight monitoring knowledge additionally confirmed restricted civilian plane exercise north of Delhi and in a lot of Rajasthan and Gujarat, the place some delicate airports near the India-Pakistan border and key Indian Air Pressure stations are positioned. The affected airports embrace Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Ambala, Ludhiana, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Uttarlai, Rajkot, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Dharamshala, Bathinda, Patiala, Pathankot, Shimla, Kishangarh, Hindon, Porbandar, Mundra, and Kandla, amongst others.
“All civil flight actions at these airports will stay suspended throughout this era. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has additionally prolonged the momentary closure of 25 segments of Air Visitors Service (ATS) routes throughout the Delhi and Mumbai Flight Data Areas (FIRs) resulting from operational causes,” the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) stated in a launch late Friday.
➡️ Non permanent Suspension of Civil Flight Operations at Choose Airports and Air Routes
➡️ The Airports Authority of India (AAI) and related aviation authorities have issued a sequence of Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) asserting the momentary closure of 32 airports throughout northern and… pic.twitter.com/MZEfbI1YkJ
— PIB India (@PIB_India) May 9, 2025
Carriers and different flight operators have been suggested by aviation authorities to plan different routings consistent with present air visitors advisories. The momentary closure is being managed in coordination with related ATC models to make sure security and minimise disruption, MoCA added.
The closure of airports in northern and western India because of the battle with Pakistan is resulting in cancellation of over 400 flights a day, trade sources indicated. The nation’s largest airline, IndiGo, alone is reporting 165 flight cancellations day by day resulting from airport closures. Following Friday’s determination to maintain civil plane operations suspended, airways issued advisories to passengers relating to flight cancellations.
“In accordance with the most recent directives from the related authorities, please be suggested that each one flights to and from the next locations will stay cancelled till 0529 hours on fifteenth Might 2025 resulting from momentary airport closures: Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Leh, Chandigarh, Dharamshala, Bikaner, Rajkot, Jodhpur, and Kishangarh. These precautionary measures have been instituted along with your security and safety as our highest precedence,” IndiGo stated in a journey advisory on Friday night.
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In its advisory to passengers, Tata group airline Air India stated: “Following a notification from aviation authorities on continued closure of a number of airports in India, Air India flights to and from the next stations – Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Bhuj, Jamnagar and Rajkot – are being cancelled until 0529 hrs IST on 15 Might, pending additional updates”.
Aside from suspending civil plane operations at these airports, safety in any respect the operational Indian airports has been stepped as much as the best stage. Aviation safety regulator Bureau of Civil Aviation Safety (BCAS) on Thursday ordered secondary pre-boarding checks for all passengers and all flights, banning entry of holiday makers at airport terminals, and deployment of required variety of air marshals consistent with the elevated risk notion, amongst a number of different safety and surveillance measures, all of which shall be in place not less than until Might 18.