Indian Airlines Cancel Flights To Northern Airports After Military Strikes

Indian airlines are halting operations to several domestic airports in the wake of military action between India and Pakistan.

Flights have been canceled to various airports in the north of the country, which Indian airlines attribute to government airspace restrictions. Indian military aircraft carried out strikes in and around the disputed Kashmir region in the early hours of May 7 in retaliation to an April 22 terrorist attack in Kashmir.

Air India canceled all flights to and from Amritsar, Bhuj, Chandigarh, Jammu, Jamnagar, Jodhpur, Leh, Rajkot and Srinagar until 5:30 a.m. on May 10 at the behest of aviation authorities.

Two Air India international flights en route to Amritsar were diverted to New Delhi, the airline says.

Air India subsidiary Air India Express says multiple flights in its network are affected, with cancelations to Amritsar, Gwalior, Hindon, Jammu and Srinagar.

Spicejet notified customers that airports it operates to in parts of northern India, including Amritsar, Kandla, Kangra, Jammu, Leh and Srinagar, “are closed until further notice.”

IndiGo canceled all flights to and from Amritsar, Bikaner, Chandigarh, Dharamshala, Gwalior, Jammu, Jodhpur, Kishangarh, Leh, Rajkot and Srinagar until May 10. This will affect 165 flights over that period.

The carrier says it expects changes in flight schedules across its network, and advises customers to check flights before travel.

Akasa Air canceled its flights to and from Srinagar.

Overseas airlines have also been affected. Flightradar24 reports that almost all international flights operated by non-Pakistani airlines diverted out of Pakistani airspace after the air strikes. This included overflights and flights to Pakistan.

India’s Economic Times reports that Pakistan has closed its airspace and its major airports for 48 hr. Multiple overseas airlines have temporarily suspended flights to Pakistan.

India and Pakistan have banned each other’s airlines from overflying their airspace since late April as tensions escalated following the April 22 terrorist attack. Some European airlines were already diverting flights around Pakistani airspace, Flightradar24 reports.

Air India said on April 25 that avoiding Pakistani airspace has forced it to extend routes on flights to and from North America, Europe and the Middle East.