National Desk
8 May
Sandeep Dhand
Journalist and Research Analysist
Civilian flights have been suspended at 20 major airports across north and west India until 5:29 AM on Saturday, May 10, 2025. This comes after India launched an early morning strike on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Wednesday. The affected airports include Leh, Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Pathankot, Chandigarh, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Jamnagar, Bhatinda, Bhuj, Dharamshala, Shimla, Rajkot, Porbandar, Bikaner, Hindon, Kishangarh, Kandla, and Gwalior.
These airports have been temporarily closed as a safety measure. All domestic airlines operating in the region have cancelled their flights to and from these airports until further notice. Passengers are being advised to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport. Airlines are offering options for rescheduling or cancelling bookings without any extra charges.
Along with domestic flights, international air travel has also been affected. Most foreign airlines have stopped using Pakistan’s airspace since Wednesday morning. Some aircraft were already flying over the region when the Indian strikes took place, and they had to change their flight routes mid-air.
The closure of Pakistani airspace has led to longer flight durations for planes traveling between India and western countries. For example, flights from Amsterdam to Delhi are now taking an hour longer, while flights to Mumbai are taking an additional hour and 15 minutes. These flights will remain nonstop but with longer travel times due to the detour around Pakistani airspace.
A number of airlines have already responded to the situation. One major international airline cancelled its Tuesday night flight from New York to Delhi, which in turn led to the cancellation of the return flight from Delhi to New York on Wednesday. The airline stated it would continue to monitor the situation and update passengers accordingly.
India’s largest budget airline has cancelled more than 165 flights from airports such as Amritsar, Bikaner, Chandigarh, Dharamshala, Gwalior, Jammu, Jodhpur, Kishangarh, Leh, Rajkot, and Srinagar. Passengers affected by these cancellations can either reschedule their journey on the next available flight or cancel and receive a full refund. The airline has advised passengers to check flight status on its official website or mobile app.
Another Indian airline has also cancelled flights to and from Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh, and Rajkot until May 10. Passengers holding valid tickets during this period are being offered a one-time waiver on rescheduling charges or a full refund.
A low-cost carrier has announced a similar policy for its flights connecting Amritsar, Gwalior, Jammu, Srinagar, and Hindon. They are providing full refunds or free rescheduling for affected passengers until Saturday morning.
Another airline has also reported disruption due to the closure of airports in areas such as Dharamshala, Leh, Jammu, Srinagar, and Amritsar. The airline has stated that not just the flights to and from these airports, but also other related flights might be delayed or cancelled as a result of this situation.
Pakistan had earlier closed its airspace to Indian carriers on April 24. However, from Wednesday, almost all international airlines have started avoiding Pakistan’s airspace. This has affected flight paths between Asia and Europe, the Middle East, and North America.
Some Asian carriers, including those based in Singapore, confirmed that their flights have stopped flying over Pakistan as of May 6. These airlines have started using alternative flight routes, which may increase flight durations slightly. They are cl…