"32 Airports Reopen After Conflict Shutdown; Flight to Amritsar Resumes Amid Blackout"

Following a ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan, the Indian government lifted the temporary closure of 32 airports across northern and western India on Monday, allowing regular civil aviation operations to resume. This decision came after heightened tensions between the two countries had prompted India to restrict civil aircraft movements at airports near the border and those associated with key Indian Air Force installations.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had earlier issued a series of Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) on Friday, announcing the suspension of civil flights at these airports until 5:29 AM on May 15. However, those NOTAMs were officially cancelled on Monday morning, enabling flight operations to recommence immediately.

Airlines quickly began working to restore operations to and from the affected airports. IndiGo, India’s largest airline, resumed limited services on Monday evening, with flights operating from Delhi to Jammu and Chandigarh. However, its flight to Amritsar had to turn back midair due to a precautionary blackout enforced in Amritsar and surrounding regions in Punjab. The airline did not publicly confirm the cause of the diversion but subsequently cancelled its Tuesday flights to and from Jammu, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Leh, Srinagar, and Rajkot, citing passenger safety as a priority.

The temporary airport closures had a significant impact on civil aviation. Industry sources indicated that over 300 flights were being cancelled daily due to the restrictions. IndiGo alone reported over 160 flight cancellations each day. The affected airports included major ones like Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Amritsar, and Chandigarh, as well as smaller ones such as Ambala, Ludhiana, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Uttarlai, Rajkot, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Dharamshala, Bathinda, Patiala, Pathankot, Shimla, Kishangarh, Hindon, Porbandar, Mundra, and Kandla. Most of these airports are located on defence airfields and typically host a limited number of civilian flights.

In the days leading up to the reopening, airspace north of Delhi had seen almost no civilian aircraft activity except for Dehradun. Rajasthan and Gujarat, which house sensitive installations close to the India-Pakistan border, also experienced a near-total shutdown of commercial aviation.

Other airlines have also begun reinstating services. Air India Express announced it would resume flights on four routes — Hindon–Bengaluru, Jammu–Delhi, Jammu–Srinagar, and Srinagar–Delhi — from Tuesday, with a fifth route, Hindon–Mumbai, starting Wednesday. The airline also plans to gradually restart other domestic and international flights, including services from Amritsar, from May 15.

Parent company Air India stated that it would progressively restore flight operations to and from affected airports, including Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh, and Rajkot, beginning Tuesday. Budget airline SpiceJet also confirmed that its teams were working to resume normal operations as soon as possible.

The initial closure of airports was in response to India’s military strikes targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir under ‘Operation Sindoor’ on May 7. The government had first closed around 25 airports near the India-Pakistan border or associated with military bases, with the number increasing to 32 as tensions escalated. The goal was to safeguard civilian air traffic from any potential threats during the heightened military activity.