16 airports shut, around 850 flights cancelled after Operation Sindoor

Flight operations suspended at 16 airports in north and west India till May 10 morning as Operation Sindoor disrupts both domestic schedules and foreign flight paths

At least 16 airports across northern and western India have been closed until the morning of May 10, resulting in the cancellation of around 850 passenger flights, after India launched “Operation Sindoor” in the early hours of Wednesday. The military operation, which targeted multiple terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir, has also prompted changes to international flight paths.

 

The affected airports — shut until 5.29 am on May 10 — include Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh, Rajkot, Bikaner, Dharamshala, Gwalior, Kishangarh, Rajkot, Shimla, and Hindon, according to statements from Indian carriers. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (Moca) is yet to issue a formal statement.

   

According to aviation industry sources, the closures have forced the cancellation of at least 850 flights. Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows that major Indian carriers — IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express, SpiceJet and Akasa Air — had been scheduled to operate 854 weekly flights to and from the affected airports between May 7 and 9. While all these carriers operate at the listed airports, none serves every location.

 

India’s military operation has also disrupted international air routes, with several foreign airlines avoiding Pakistani airspace from Wednesday onwards.

 

Vietnam Airlines’ Hanoi-London flight, which typically flies over Pakistan, rerouted via Gujarat and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) airspace on Wednesday. Jazeera Airways’ service from Dhaka to Kuwait City similarly diverted away from Pakistan, following the same alternative corridor. Turkish Airlines’ Taipei-Istanbul service also adjusted its route to avoid Pakistani airspace, adopting the Gujarat-UAE flight path.

 

Impact on Indian carriers

 

IndiGo, India’s largest airline, said it had cancelled over 500 flights to and from cities like Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Dharamshala, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Gwalior, Kishangarh and Rajkot until 5.29 am on May 10, in line with directives from the aviation regulator. “Further schedule adjustments across other sectors may follow,” the airline said, advising passengers to check flight status before heading to the airport. Affected customers are being offered full refunds or free rescheduling.

 

Air India confirmed it had cancelled all flights to and from Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh and Rajkot during the closure period. Two international services bound for Amritsar were diverted to Delhi. The airline is providing a one-time waiver on rescheduling charges, as well as full refunds. Cirium figures indicate Air India had 182 flights planned between May 7 and 9 at the impacted airports.

 

Air India’s low-cost subsidiary Air India Express has also suspended services to and from Amritsar, Gwalior, Jammu, Srinagar and Hindon, citing airport authority instructions. It had 137 flights scheduled from those locations during the period.

 

Akasa Air cancelled all operations to and from Srinagar, noting that the airport had been shut for civil traffic. SpiceJet, meanwhile, suspended services to and from Leh, Srinagar, Jammu, Kandla, Amritsar and Dharamshala. Cirium data shows that Akasa Air and SpiceJet had been scheduled to operate 12 and 71 flights, respectively, from the affected airports between May 7 and 9.

 

Delhi Airport, India's largest, saw a total of 135 flight cancellations -- four international and 131 domestic -- on Wednesday.